[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 96 (Thursday, June 26, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H6258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE CRISIS IN LIBERIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in response to 
the troubling situation of unrest in our ally nation of Liberia. 
Because of the rich history of its birth in 1820 with the valiant acts 
of freed American slaves in founding the capital of Christopolis, now 
Monrovia, we certainly have a stake in the need for restoring peace.
  Since the end of the seven-year civil war that claimed the lives of 
over 250,000 people, more than 1.3 million residents have had to flee 
the country for refuge in neighboring countries, many of which have 
already reached the end of their meager resources. The series of events 
in Liberia presents a harsh irony in light of yesterday's events: we 
celebrated a Constitutional victory in the Grutter v. Bollinger 
decision that came out of the highest court in the nation. Similarly 
ironic, on that same day, we saluted the Honorable Mayor Maynard 
Jackson, Jr., one of the most charismatic civic leaders of all time in 
his departure at age 65. This ironic juxtaposition of emotions reminds 
us that no matter how far we think we've gotten, there is always 
distance to be traveled in the work of making peace in the world.
  The U.N. High Court indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor 
on charges of crimes against humanity, largely stemming from his 
participaion in the civil war in Sierra Leone, has created a panic in 
Monrovia. A Liberian woman stated that ``We are all tired of Charles 
Taylor, but we are afraid that his arrest in Ghana will create chaos.'' 
We in the United States now know the feeling of panic as we check the 
terror threat on a daily basis--today's threat level being Yellow, or 
``heightened.'' People shouldn't have to live in fear.
  The economic effect of the renewed arms embargo, ban on dealing in 
rough diamonds, and airline restrictions on Liberia will be substantial 
for the citizens and business community. However, the human rights 
abuses such as summary executions, recruitment of child soldiers. 
sexual violence, looting of civilian property, and forced labor must 
end now. The mass evacuation aboard the French vessel Orage of the 
hundreds of foreigners, including Americans, holding dual U.S. and 
Liberian citizenship, Europeans, Lebanese, Ivorian and Indian 
nationals, Egyptians, and some Africans represents a departure from our 
goal of uniting our international community in peace. It is a moral 
imperative that we end the chaos caused by anarchy and criminal 
behavior. The Ceasefire Agreement between the Republic of Liberia, the 
Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LUR) groups, and the 
Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) is a start, but our help is 
imperative. We must make our voices heard and incite action from our 
colleagues in order to restore peace.

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