[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 108 (Monday, September 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7008-H7011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONDEMNING TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIAN FEDERATION

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 760) condemning the series of terrorist attacks 
against the Russian Federation that occurred in late August and early 
September 2004.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 760

       Whereas on August 24, 2004, 2 Russian passenger airliners, 
     Sibir Airlines Flight 1047

[[Page H7009]]

     and Volga-Avia Express Flight 1303, exploded nearly 
     simultaneously from bombs believed to have been carried 
     aboard by passengers, killing 90 people;
       Whereas on August 31, 2004, a suicide bomber attacked the 
     Rizhskaya subway station in Moscow, killing 10 people and 
     injuring 51;
       Whereas on September 1, 2004, a group of approximately 30 
     terrorists seized Middle School No. 1 in Beslan, Russia, on 
     the first day of school;
       Whereas more than 1,180 parents, teachers, and children 
     were held hostage for 52 hours with no food or water;
       Whereas this act of terrorism resulted in more than 335 
     dead, including 156 children, hundreds wounded and 190 still 
     unaccounted for;
       Whereas terrorist actions during the standoff were 
     grotesque and cruel;
       Whereas this attack parallels tactics used by terrorist 
     groups around the world, including extensive preparations, 
     the simultaneity of attacks requiring coordination, and the 
     use of suicide bombers;
       Whereas the terrorists possessed sophisticated weapons and 
     training, including camouflage, gas masks, trained dogs, 
     specialized sniper cartridges, and grenade launchers;
       Whereas the attacks were reportedly planned by Shamil 
     Basayev, a Chechen rebel commander, and financed by Abu Omar 
     as-Seyf, a radical Islamic Wahabite, believed to be 
     associated with al-Qaeda;
       Whereas these 3 attacks represent an unparalleled level of 
     barbarity against the Russian Federation;
       Whereas the United States has provided medical supplies, 
     medicine, and other equipment to help doctors cope with the 
     injured in these attacks;
       Whereas terrorism in the 21st century flows across national 
     borders; and
       Whereas the school children and people of Beslan, Russia 
     have now joined the people of New York City, Moscow, Karachi, 
     Jerusalem, Madrid, Bali, and many other places around the 
     globe as victims of international terrorism: Now, therefore, 
     be it--
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) deplores the series of terrorist attacks against the 
     Russian Federation that occurred in late August and early 
     September 2004;
       (2) expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of 
     the individuals murdered in the terrorist attacks, expresses 
     its sympathies to the individuals injured in the attacks, and 
     conveys its hope for the rapid and complete recovery of all 
     such injured individuals; and
       (3) stands in solidarity with the Russian people in efforts 
     to combat terrorism throughout the world.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
any extraneous material on this resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I would like to 
begin by thanking the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for their support of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, the Russian people have suffered 
greatly from terrorism.

                              {time}  1500

  They have seen two airplanes blown out of the sky, killing all on 
board. They have seen bombs explode in subway tunnels, killing people 
who were just going home or just going to work. And then they saw the 
tragedy in a town called Beslan, in southern Russia.
  And in Russia the first day of school is known there as ``the day of 
knowledge.'' For Middle School No. 1 in Beslan, it turned into a day of 
terror. As students and teachers and parents gathered for that first 
day, 30 terrorists stormed the school, and they took 1,180 occupants as 
hostage. They herded the group of children and teachers and parents 
into the school gymnasium, and they rigged it with explosives. And 
those who did not obey orders on the spot were executed on that site. 
And there they sat the hostages in the sweltering gymnasium for 52 
hours with no food, with no water. Hostages stripped off their clothes 
from relief of the heat and did what they could to save themselves and 
try to stay hydrated.
  These attacks were planned in meticulous detail with a cache of 
weapons and other equipment hidden underneath the school's library 
wooden floor for weeks before the attack. The terrorists were well 
trained. They were very well equipped. They possessed gas masks and 
hand-held radios and specialized weaponry. They even possessed two 
sentry dogs as expertly trained as the attackers themselves. This 
attack reflects the tactics used by Islamist terrorist groups around 
the world, including extensive preparation, simultaneous attacks 
requiring coordination, and the use of suicide bombers in the attack 
itself. It was no amateur operation.
  The end of the seizure resulted in more than 330 dead, half of them 
children. Hundreds were wounded, and still more were unaccounted for 
after the bomb blasts. Children were shot in the back as they tried to 
escape.
  The bombed-out school leaves an unimaginable scene, desks littered 
with bullet holes, bloody handprints on tiles, body parts of suicide 
bombers litter the floor and the ceiling of the classroom, and on the 
chalkboard one can see in the film that the teacher had prepared an 
arithmetic lesson four plus two equals six.
  In Beslan last week, caskets, many of them child-sized, were carried 
one by one for burial. A patch of land about the size of a football 
field had to be prepared for more graves because the town's cemetery 
was not big enough to hold all the bodies.
  Mr. Speaker, September 1 is Russia's 9/11. The world has expressed 
its sympathy for the people of Beslan. At the Russian Embassy here in 
Washington, D.C., hundreds have lined up to sign condolence books, 
including Secretary Powell and President Bush. Secretary Powell wrote: 
``As a parent, my heart and my prayers go out to those who lost 
children. The United States stands firmly and with solidarity with 
Russia in fighting all forms of terrorism. This tragedy will serve to 
energize our efforts.''
  As Americans are now sending their children back to school across the 
country, this calamity has moved many Americans. Many have commented on 
the Russian government's response to this war and to its policies in 
Chechnya and its anti-democratic actions in Chechnya. This deserves 
debate in appropriate forums. However, one thing is clear: nothing can 
justify this deliberate targeting of innocent children. The use of 
children as targets by these trained terrorists is reprehensible. These 
are children, again, that were specifically targeted. This resolution 
rightly condemns this establishment.
  Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate reality is that today's terrorism knows 
no borders. This killing has spread and apparently will continue to 
spread. The children and people of Beslan, Russia, have now joined the 
people of New York and Bali and Moscow and Karachi and Jerusalem and 
Madrid and many other places around the globe as victims of 
international terrorism.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. First I 
want to express my appreciation to the distinguished gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce), my good friend, for introducing this most 
important resolution and to the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) 
for facilitating its expeditious consideration on the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, September 1 is usually a very happy day for Russian 
families. It is the traditional first day of the school year, when 
parents accompany their children to school. And at School No. 1 in the 
town of Beslan in southern Russia, September 1, 2004, began in a joyous 
and celebratory manner. Children were dressed in their best clothes, 
busily catching up with their young friends and with their teachers 
after the summer break. Festive music played for this important and 
happy occasion in the lives of these carefree children and their 
parents.
  Suddenly dozens of masked, armed terrorists stormed the school, 
causing mass chaos and fright, and forcing hundreds of students and 
parents into the gymnasium of the school. It sickens all of us to read 
the eyewitness accounts of the school seizure or to watch the video 
which was shot by the terrorists documenting their bloody and barbaric 
actions.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no need to relive today the violent and 
despicable

[[Page H7010]]

acts which followed. The entire world has seen them on television in 
all too graphic detail. But we now know that for the town of Beslan, 
and indeed for all of Russia, September 1, 2004, will hereafter be 
remembered as a day of horrible tragedy and unspeakable crime.
  September 1, 2004, Mr. Speaker, will be remembered in Russia as we in 
the United States remember September 11, the day when we recognized our 
vulnerability to the brutality of Islamic terrorism and committed 
ourselves to a global battle against those who perpetrate these 
dastardly acts.
  The Beslan attack was not Russia's first encounter with Islamic 
terrorists. Just days before, these same people brought down two 
commercial airliners in Russia, killing nearly a hundred civilians; and 
the suicide bombers struck in Moscow at a subway station, causing grief 
and suffering to families across Russia. Our hearts go out to the 
families of those who died or were injured in these tragic disasters.
  Confronting, resisting, and defeating Islamic terrorism must be a 
global effort. The most meaningful contribution that we in Congress can 
make is to continue our commitment to carry on this battle until final 
victory. Today, as we remember the innocent victims of Beslan, the 
passengers of Sibir Airlines Flight 1047 and Volga-Avia Express 1303 
and commuters and bystanders at the Rizhskaya subway station in Moscow, 
I want to offer the most heartfelt condolences of the American people 
to the Russian people and especially to the relatives and friends of 
the victims of Islamic terrorism.
  I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues 
to do so as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the vice chairman of the Committee on International 
Relations.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank and 
commend the gentleman from California (Chairman Royce) for his 
authorship of this very important and necessary resolution, and I am 
very pleased to join as a co-sponsor of H. Res. 760; and I join in the 
chorus of the Americans who stand in solidarity with the Russian people 
in their grief for those who have been murdered by terrorist actions. 
No words can adequately express the shock and sorrow that we feel at 
the events in Beslan. Our hearts go out to the people of Beslan as they 
bury their children and their neighbors. They have our deepest 
sympathy, and they have our prayers. Our hearts go out to the wounded 
and disabled, especially the young, who will bear the scars of 
terrorism for the rest of their lives.
  This resolution properly deplores the terrorist attacks against 
Russia and expresses condolences to the families of the victims. Their 
grief is our grief. Their anger is our anger. Their loss is our loss.
  Mr. Speaker, there is ample reason to criticize Russia's military 
operations in Chechnya. I continue to believe that Moscow's strategy in 
that tortured region has been brutal, ill-advised, and self-defeating. 
As chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I have met numerous times with 
Russian leaders to protest their policy in Chechnya and have held a 
number of hearings, including with people like Elena Bonner, to protest 
what is going on there.
  But let me make it very clear that there is no justification, no 
justification whatsoever, for the bloody violence that was perpetrated 
by cowardly terrorists who use innocent children to achieve political 
ends. If the terrorists thought they were helping the people of 
Chechnya by killing innocent people in North Ossetia, they were 
tragically in error. The people of Chechnya seek a respite from war. 
They and many in Russia want a just peace, not more carnage. 
Slaughtering children and traumatizing many more betrays the cause of 
peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I trust this resolution reflects not only the sentiments 
of this House but also of millions of Americans that we represent. We 
mourn the tragic loss, the wanton loss of innocent lives.
  And again I want to commend my colleagues, especially the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Royce); the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman 
Hyde); and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), ranking member, 
for their leadership on this important resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who will soon travel to Beslan, Russia.
  (Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and 
friend for yielding me this time and for his leadership on this issue. 
I thank the gentleman from California for his leadership.
  I rise as a co-author and co-sponsor of this important resolution to 
send a clear, unequivocal statement to the people and leaders of Russia 
that we are with them, that we are one in their fight against 
terrorism.
  Mr. Speaker, later on this week I will make my 38th or 39th trip to 
Moscow. This will be the most solemn trip that I will have made in my 
career as I extend the sympathy and the concern and the personal 
feelings of all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to our 
friends in Russia.
  Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous that we have witnessed the kinds of 
actions not just in the school in Beslan but as has been described here 
today, the terrorist attacks on airlines, the terrorist attacks in 
hotels where many of us have stayed. In fact, many of us have stayed at 
the National Hotel in downtown Moscow right across from the Duma 
headquarters.

                              {time}  1515

  That was bombed earlier this year.
  The people of Russia have suffered much. Now is not the time for us 
to criticize, although all of us have differences of opinion with the 
Russian leadership on various aspects of our bilateral relations. Now 
is the time to come together unequivocally standing one-on-one with the 
Russian people as they did with us on September 11.
  I would remind our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, that it was Vladimir 
Putin who was the first foreign leader to telephone President Bush 
after 9/11. It was not the leader of Great Britain or Canada or 
Australia; it was President Putin, who expressed his solidarity with 
the people of America during our darkest hour.
  There were scores of Russian Duma deputies, many friends of people in 
this body and the other body, who were contacted personally as they 
expressed to us their outrage and their feelings of horror and shock 
and grief as America came under attack on September 11.
  In fact, Mr. Speaker, I was in Moscow shortly after the attack and 
had a chance to ride by our embassy in downtown Moscow. You could not 
see the front gate of the American embassy in Moscow for the literally 
thousands and thousands of flowers and personal notes that literally 
thousands of Russian ordinary citizens had come to place by our embassy 
in Moscow expressing their grief and concern with what happened to us.
  So it is appropriate that we take this time to stand up and let the 
world know that today we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the 
people of Russia. We are supporting their efforts to rid their country 
of terrorism, and we stand with them to fully investigate the details 
of the outrageous act that occurred at the school in Beslan, as well as 
the other terrorist activities that have taken place in that nation.
  Mr. Speaker, we have come a long way in the last 12 and 13 years 
since Russia threw off communism. It has been a rough road. There are 
those who say that perhaps Russia has not done enough, there are those 
that say we have not done enough. But now is not the time for us to 
debate differences, now is the time for us to stand together, shoulder-
to-shoulder, and let the people of the world know that in the fight 
against terrorism we are one and the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our colleagues for their leadership. It 
was just 4 short years ago that I hosted the current Speaker of the 
Duma, my friend Boris Gryzlov, at the Republican National Convention 
for 6 days. He stayed with me. At the time he was the First Deputy 
Speaker of the Duma. He went on to become the Minister of Interior. He 
is one of President Putin's best friends. In fact, he ran President 
Putin's reelection campaign.

[[Page H7011]]

  Boris Gryzlov reached out to me as soon as that attack occurred. In 
words that I can only describe as overtly emotional, he said 
Congressman Weldon, all of us in Russia share the grief that is being 
shared by the people of your Nation.
  So to our friend Boris Gryzlov, who stands today as the Speaker of 
the Russian Duma, a close adviser to President Putin, and to President 
Putin himself, representing all of the people of Russia, America stands 
ready to pass this resolution, I hope with overwhelming support of both 
parties, because leadership comes from the most distinguished leaders 
on foreign affairs issues of this body, that we rise up and let the 
people of Russia know that they are truly our brothers and sisters.
  We pray for those victims, we pray for those families, we pray for 
those young children. As a teacher myself, I cannot believe on the 
first day of school, which is a great day in Russia, as my friend and 
chairman outlined in his opening statement, that they would attack 
young Russian children, the most vulnerable of their society.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues, I look forward to working to 
pass this resolution, and, more importantly, I look forward to 
delivering this message in person when I arrive in Moscow before the 
end this week.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this tragedy brings the world's attention to a region of 
the globe that has been perhaps overlooked for too long, but it has 
also spurred debate about the next steps in an escalating conflict that 
transcends borders.
  It should also galvanize debate about the threat that the world 
faces. As the bipartisan 9/11 Commission states, ``The catastrophic 
threat at this moment in history is the threat posed by Islamic 
terrorism, especially the al Qaeda network and its affiliates and its 
ideology.''
  I believe this is what we are seeing in southern Russia. These are 
not criminals united by happenstance, but by militant Islam, united by 
ideology, doctrine and practice, its adherence drawn from Africa to 
Southeast Asia, from the Middle East to the Caucasus.
  Al Qaeda's interest in the Caucasus is undisputed. Chechnya's lawless 
period of independence produced the conditions ripe for fomenting 
global jihad. Fighters, weapons, cash and ideology, much of it Saudi 
Wahabism, poured in from abroad.
  Like al Qaeda, Chechen fighters have used front charities to secure 
funds. Benevolence International Foundation, whose assets were blocked 
by the U.S. Government for supporting al Qaeda, has also been found to 
support jihadists in Chechnya. In fact, evidence seized from 
Benevolence International indicates that it spent over 40 percent of 
its budget on Chechnya.
  The bipartisan 9/11 Commission exposes other links, noting that 
several of the 9/11 hijackers, including Mohammed Atta, were headed to 
Chechnya to fight against the Russians. Only a chance meeting on that 
train in Germany with another terrorist caused the group to make the 
decision to travel to Afghanistan instead.
  Several Chechens, including Shamil Basayev, believed to be the master 
mind of this school attack, received training in Afghan terror camps. 
Perhaps most telling, Afghanistan's Taliban was the only regime in the 
world to recognize Chechnya's independence in January of 2000 and to 
pledge it help in its fight against Russia.
  Mr. Speaker, I could go on, but it is important to recognize these 
facts. It is important to recognize that this is the enemy that faces 
Russia, that faces the United States and that faces the world.
  As I said earlier, many have commented on the Russian government's 
response to this war, to its policies in Chechnya and its anti-
democratic actions. This is a debate we should have, but we should have 
this debate with a clear understanding of what the Russian people and 
what we are up against.
  I urge the passage of this resolution.
  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
and would like to thank my friend from California for introducing it. 
Just over a week ago, the civilized world agonized over the massacre of 
more than 300 Russian school children who were returning to school 
after summer vacation when Islamic terrorists took them hostage and 
ultimately, took their lives. This cowardly and inhumane act occurred 
just days after two other vile acts of terror--the bombing of two 
Russian airliners, which killed 89 innocent men, women, and children, 
and the Moscow subway bombing that killed nine.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no denying that the situation in Chechnya is a 
complicated one. Despite the mutually destructive history of Russian-
Chechen relations, the acts of terror that have been unleashed upon the 
Russian people are inexcusable, inhumane, and are representative of the 
evil that we face today in the War on Terror. The fact that those who 
carried out these brutal acts purposely picked children as their 
primary targets further illuminates their utter disregard for the rules 
of law and the norms of human conduct.
  Today, as we express our solidarity with the Russian people, let us 
take time to remember the fact that the War on Terror is a 
transnational conflict that requires strong alliances among nations 
both large and small. The people of Russia have a friend in the United 
States of America. It is my strong belief, that the murderers who took 
the lives of children in Beslan share ties with others who seek to 
wreak havoc within our own borders. Let those who wish us ill know that 
the United States, Russia and our allies will stop at nothing to 
destroy the global network of Islamic fundamentalism and all other 
forms of terrorism.
  As the United States House of Representatives expresses its 
solidarity with the Russian people, I would like to remind my 
colleagues of the other victims of terrorism that the world has lost in 
recent years. People have mourned the losses of loved ones in Bali, 
Jerusalem, Madrid, Jakarta, New York, Washington, Baghdad, Kabul and 
various other places. May their memories and those of the children of 
Beslan, the passengers on the two aircraft and the people on the subway 
be the rallying cry for our ongoing struggle against terrorism.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 760.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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