[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5332-H5338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING KAZAKHSTAN ON 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF CLOSURE OF WORLD'S
SECOND LARGEST NUCLEAR TEST SITE
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 905) congratulating Kazakhstan on the
15th
[[Page H5333]]
anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test
site in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan and for its efforts on
the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 905
Whereas on August 29, 1991, the Government of Kazakhstan
shut down the world's second largest nuclear test site in the
Semipalatinsk region of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
Whereas between 1945 and 1991, more than 450 nuclear tests
were conducted at this site, exposing more than 1.5 million
innocent people to radiation and causing damage to the
environment;
Whereas the damage to the environment and to the health of
the people of Kazakhstan from this terrible legacy of
hundreds of detonations of Soviet nuclear explosive devices
could be felt for decades to come;
Whereas upon gaining independence, Kazakhstan inherited
from the former Soviet Union more than 1,000 nuclear
warheads, as well as a squadron of 40 TU-95 heavy bombers
armed with 370 nuclear warheads, comprising the world's
fourth largest nuclear arsenal;
Whereas Kazakhstan renounced this massive nuclear arsenal,
unilaterally disarmed, and joined the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear
weapon state, the first time a state that had possessed such
a massive nuclear arsenal had done so;
Whereas Kazakhstan's leadership and cooperation with the
United States on nonproliferation matters is a model for
other countries to follow;
Whereas Kazakhstan also inherited from the former Soviet
Union the world's largest anthrax production and
weaponization facility, which had a capacity to produce more
than 300 metric tons of anthrax per year;
Whereas Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the United States
Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, dismantled the
military-related buildings and equipment associated with the
anthrax production and weaponization facility;
Whereas the Government of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with
the United States, participated in a very successful secret
operation code-named ``Project Sapphire,'' in which 581
kilograms (1,278 pounds) of weapons-grade highly enriched
uranium, enough to produce 20 to 25 nuclear warheads, were
removed overnight from Kazakhstan;
Whereas in December 2004 and May 2006, Kazakhstan and the
United States concluded amendments to a bilateral agreement
on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which
have moved the two countries toward a new level of
cooperation in preventing the threat of bio-terrorism; and
Whereas in February 2006, Kazakhstan and the Nuclear Threat
Initiative of Washington, D.C., with the support of the
United States Department of Energy, blended down 2,900
kilograms (6,600 pounds) of weapons-usable highly enriched
uranium, enough to produce up to 25 nuclear warheads,
converting the material for peaceful use and preventing it
from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations and
being used in weapons production: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) congratulates the people and Government of the
Republic of Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure
of the world's second largest nuclear test site in the
Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan;
(2) commends Kazakhstan for greatly advancing the cause
of the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction as a
result of its dismantlement of its nuclear and biological
weapons and facilities; and
(3) calls upon the Administration to establish a joint
working group with the Government of Kazakhstan to assist in
assessing the environmental damage and health effects caused
by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former
Soviet Union.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of House Resolution 905, congratulating Kazakhstan
on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest
nuclear test site, and for its efforts on nonproliferation of weapons
of mass destruction.
Kazakhstan was once home to the second largest nuclear test site in
the world. From the years of 1945 to 1991, over 450 tests were carried
out at that site.
After becoming independent from the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan was left
with more than 1,000 nuclear warheads and with 40 heavy bombers armed
with 370 nuclear warheads and comprising the world's fourth largest
nuclear arsenal.
Immediately after achieving its independence, Kazakhstan successfully
closed and secured its enormous nuclear test site.
Kazakhstan accepted support from the U.S. Department of Energy and
readily complied with the nuclear threat initiative, blending down over
6,000 pounds of weapons grade highly enriched uranium.
Given the threats that we are facing from rogue states such as Iran,
which has blatantly violated its nuclear nonproliferation obligations
and which refuses to immediately stop its nuclear-related and weapons-
related activities, we welcome the opportunity to stand here today
commemorating Kazakhstan's landmark decision.
In addition to inheriting a massive nuclear arsenal from the Soviet
Union, Kazakhstan was also left with the world's largest anthrax
production and weaponizing facility.
Through cooperation with the United States Cooperative Threat
Reduction program, CTR, Kazakhstan was able to successfully dismantle
the military-related buildings and equipment related to such anthrax
programs.
I ask my colleagues to support this important resolution and, in so
doing, join us in commending the people and the government of
Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the world's second
largest nuclear test site and for greatly advancing global
nonproliferation efforts by dismantling its nuclear and biological
weapons and facilities.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, again I want to thank my good
friend, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), especially in
her capacity as chairperson of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and
Eastern Europe, and especially my good friend, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Ackerman), who is our ranking member of the subcommittee. I
certainly want to thank also Chairman Henry Hyde and Mr. Tom Lantos,
our senior ranking member of the House International Relations
Committee. Without their support, Madam Speaker, House Resolution 905
would not be possible. And I really, really appreciate their help and
assistance in providing this resolution now before the floor.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 905,
congratulating Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the
world's second largest nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk region of
Kazakhstan, and for its efforts on the nonproliferation of weapons of
mass destruction.
House Resolution 905 is historic for these reasons, Madam Speaker. It
is historic because this is the first time the U.S. House of
Representatives has considered legislation in praise of Kazakhstan, a
former Soviet republic that has proved to be a true ally of the United
States.
It is also historic because it is being considered on the 60th
birthday of my dear friend and brother, I consider my brother, the
Honorable Kanat Saudabayev, the Ambassador of the Republic of
Kazakhstan to the United States. Ambassador Saudabayev has worked
tirelessly to represent the interests of Kazakhstan in the United
States and has served His Excellency, Mr. Sursultan Nazarbayev, the
President of Kazakhstan, with distinction and honor.
Ambassador Saudabayev and his wife and children and grandchildren are
with us. It is my privilege to wish him a happy birthday and commend
him for his service to his nation and certainly to the United States as
well.
Madam Speaker, House Resolution 905 recognizes Kazakhstan as a model
for advancing the cause of nuclear nonproliferation. After the collapse
of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited a ruined economy and
became
[[Page H5334]]
overnight the world's fourth largest recipient and supplier of nuclear
weapons.
This arsenal of nuclear weapons could possibly have helped to resolve
the financial problems of this young and struggling nation. However,
under the leadership of President Nazarbayev, the people of Kazakhstan,
knowing firsthand the horrible effects of nuclear tests, made a choice
to renounce nuclear weapons all together. In fact, immediately after
achieving independence, and in spite of threats from the Kremlin,
President Nazarbayev closed and sealed the world's second largest
nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, where the Soviet Union conducted
almost 500 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1991.
Our Nation assisted President Nazarbayev to dismantle these nuclear
weapons through the leadership of former Senator Sam Nunn and Chairman
Richard Lugar, with the enactment of the Nunn-Lugar Act that provided
the necessary funds to carry out the elimination of these nuclear
weapons.
Madam Speaker, today few know about President Nazarbayev's heroic
decision which, in my humble opinion, changed the course of modern
history. Few know that this story about Kazakhstan did not bargain and
did not lobby to gain political or economic dividends from its choice.
Rather, Kazakhstan, for the sake of global peace and security,
consciously chose to ensure a brighter future for their children and
for the rest of the world.
Can you believe a Muslim country having in its possession all these
nuclear weapons that President Nazarbayev could have easily doled out,
sold them, and made it such that it could have been a very, very
dangerous situation for the world.
I believe we should speak out more often of Kazakhstan's example,
Madam Speaker. While I am grateful that the world is aware of the
Chernobyl disaster, where several thousands perished, I am saddened
that the world knows so little about the tragedies of Semipalatinsk,
the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia, where children and elderly
have gone dying for decades as a result of Cold War policies and also
being directly affected because of nuclear contamination.
At Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, the cumulative power of explosions from
nuclear tests conducted by the former Soviet Union is believed to be
equal to the power of 2,500 explosions of the type of bombs dropped in
Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. More than 1.5 million people of Kazakhstan
suffered from nuclear contamination as a result of these tests, and a
horrifying array of diseases will continue to destroy the lives of
these good people.
Madam Speaker, as a Pacific Islander, I have a tremendous affinity to
the people of Kazakhstan because the Marshallese and the Polynesian
Tahitians also know firsthand the horrors of nuclear testing. Bikini is
one of 29 atolls and five islands that compose the Marshall Islands.
These atolls are located north of the equator and are scattered over
some 357,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Because of their
location away from regular air and sea routes, these atolls were chosen
by our government to be the nuclear proving grounds for the United
States.
From 1946 to 1958 the United States detonated 67 nuclear weapons at
the Marshall Islands, which included the first hydrogen bomb explosion
of what is known as the Bravo shot, a 15 megaton shot, which is
equivalent to 1,000 times more powerful than the bombs we dropped on
Nagasaki, Hiroshima. Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion
ever detonated by the United States, the Bravo shot vaporized six
islands, and created a mushroom cloud 25 miles up in the atmosphere. It
has been said that if one were to calculate the net yield of the tests
conducted in the Marshall Islands, it would be equivalent to the
detonation of 1.7 Hiroshima nuclear bombs every day for 12 years.
The U.S. nuclear testing program exposed the people of the Marshall
Islands to severe health problems and genetic abnormalities for
generations. The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands
also set a precedent for France to use the islands of the Pacific for
its own testing program. For some 30 years the French Government
detonated approximately 218 nuclear bombs on Moruroa and Fangataufa
atolls near Tahiti.
In 1995, while the world turned a blind eye, the newly elected
President, Jacques Chirac, announced that France would violate the 1992
world moratorium on nuclear testing and exploded eight more nuclear
bombs on Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls beginning in September 1995.
Chirac said the nuclear explosions would have no ecological
consequences. Give me a break. They described his decision as
irrevocable. And what is known about this is that we even told France,
you don't need to explode any more nuclear bombs. You can do it
electronically. Despite all of this, still couldn't do it.
I also made an irrevocable decision to accompany Mr. Oscar Temaru,
the current President of French Polynesia on the Greenpeace warrior
vessel which took us to Moruroa as part of some 20,000 demonstrators
who came from Europe, from Japan, from the United States, from New
Zealand, Australia and elsewhere to protest President's Chirac's
decision to break France's commitment to a moratorium not to conduct
any more nuclear tests.
{time} 1545
Later I personally visited Moruroa under the supervision of the
French Government, and to this day portions of that atoll is still
contaminated.
Madam Speaker, in 2003, as a direct result of my friendship with the
good Ambassador from Kazakhstan, I became aware of the magnitude of the
problem of Semipalatinsk. In August, 2004, I felt a deep sense of
obligation as a Member of Congress who had visited the nuclear test
sites in the Marshall Islands and in French Polynesia and also now to
the Semipalatinsk test site. During my visit and in later discussions
with President Nazarbayev, I learned that I was the first American
legislator to set foot on ground zero where the Soviet Union exploded
its first nuclear device in 1949. And guess what, Madam Speaker? It is
still contaminated to this day.
Madam Speaker, considering the courageous decision made by President
Nazarbayev to shut down the Semipalatinsk test site so that you and I
and future generations may live in peace, I believe we have a moral
responsibility to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters in
Semipalatinsk. This is why I am pleased that this House resolution
calls upon the administration to establish a joint working group with
the Government of Kazakhstan to assist in assessing the environmental
damage and health effects caused by nuclear testing in the
Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet Union.
As important as this resolution is, Madam Speaker, I also believe the
international community should more fully acknowledge Kazakhstan's
tremendous contribution to world peace. While I am pleased this year's
Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations director general of
the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, I believe President
Nazarbayev, Senator Richard Lugar, and Senator Sam Nunn should also be
seriously considered for the Nobel Peace Prize for reaffirming the
worth and advancing the rights of human beings around the world and by
dismantling the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal, closing and
sealing the Semipalatinsk test site, and most recently blending down
6,600 pounds of weapons-usable highly enriched uranium, or enough to
produce up to 25 nuclear warheads, converting the material for peaceful
use and thereby preventing it from falling into the hands of terrorist
organizations.
I submit, Madam Speaker, these are some of the achievements that
President Nazarbayev and Senator Lugar and Senator Nunn have made, and
they certainly should be recognized by leaders of our world community.
I want to share with my colleagues the substance of the paper that
was delivered by my good friend, Ambassador Saudabayev, concerning what
happened in Kazakhstan. And I quote:
``The people of Kazakhstan have experienced firsthand the devastating
force of nuclear weapons. During four decades, the Soviet Union
conducted 456 nuclear explosions at the world's largest nuclear test
site at Semipalatinsk. The cumulative power output of these explosions
equaled 2,500
[[Page H5335]]
Hiroshima-size bombs. More than 1.5 million Kazaks were exposed.
``That is, Kazakhstan made the unprecedented step in the history of
the world and became the first country to shut down a nuclear test site
and renounce the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal. At that time
this arsenal was larger than the nuclear weapons stockpiles of Great
Britain, France, and China combined. Kazakhstan had 1,040 nuclear
warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles SS-18 and 370 nuclear
warheads for cruise missiles and 40 strategic multipurpose bombers TU-
95 to deliver them.''
The point I wanted to make about the Ambassador's statement, Madam
Speaker, is that Kazakhstan is no longer involved in this madness of
developing as well as holding on to nuclear weapons.
With the recent announcement of our need to establish a global
initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and on the occasion of the 15th
anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test
site at Semipalatinsk, it is only fitting and fair that we should
acknowledge Kazakhstan's commitment and leadership in nuclear
disarmament and nonproliferation. For this reason I urge my colleagues
to support the House Resolution 905.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. H. Res.
905 congratulates Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of
the world's second largest nuclear test site in the Semipalatinsk
region of Kazakhstan and for its efforts on the nonproliferation of
weapons of mass destruction.
H. Res. 905 is non-controversial and historic. It is historic because
this is the first time the U.S. House of Representatives has considered
legislation in praise of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic that has
proved to be a true ally of the U.S.
It is also historic because it is being considered on the 60th
birthday of my friend and brother, His Excellency Kanat Saudabayev,
Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Ambassador Saudabayev has
worked tirelessly to represent the interests of Kazakhstan in the U.S.
and has served his President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with distinction
and honor and, today, it is my privilege to wish him a happy birthday
and commend him for his service to his nation and ours.
Also, at this time, I thank Chairman Henry Hyde and Ranking Member
Tom Lantos of the International Relations Committee for their support
in moving this important legislation forward. I also thank
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Gary Ackerman, Chair
and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central
Asia, for cosponsoring this legislation. Without their support, H. Res.
905 would not be possible.
H. Res. 905 recognizes Kazakhstan as a model for advancing the cause
of nuclear nonproliferation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, Kazakhstan inherited a ruined economy and the World's fourth
largest nuclear arsenal. This arsenal could possibly have helped to
resolve the financial problems of this young and struggling nation.
However, led by President Nazarbayev, the people of Kazakhstan,
knowing firsthand the horrible effects of nuclear tests, made a choice
to renounce nuclear weapons. In fact, immediately after achieving
independence and in spite of threats from the Kremlin, President
Nazarbayev closed and sealed the world's second largest nuclear test
site at Semipalatinsk where the Soviet Union conducted more than 450
nuclear tests from 1949 to 1991.
Today, few know about President Nazarbayev's heroic decision which
undoubtedly changed the course of modern history. Few know this story
because Kazakhstan did not bargain and did not lobby to gain political
or economic dividends from its choice. Rather, Kazakhstan, for the sake
of global peace and security, consciously chose to ensure a brighter
future for their children and ours.
For this reason, I believe we should speak more often of Kazakhstan's
example. While I am grateful that the world is aware of the Chernobyl
disaster where thousands perished, I am saddened that the world knows
so little about the tragedies of Semipalatinsk, the Marshall Islands
and French Polynesia where children and the elderly have been dying for
decades as a result of Cold War policies that to this day have never
been set right.
In Semipalatinsk, the cumulative power of explosions from nuclear
tests conducted by the former Soviet Union is believed to be equal to
the power of 2,500 explosions of the type of bomb dropped on Hiroshima,
Japan in 1945. More than 1.5 million people in Kazakhstan suffered from
nuclear contamination as a result of these tests and a horrifying array
of disease will continue to destroy the lives of many more.
As a Pacific Islander, I have a special affinity for the people of
Kazakhstan because the Marshallese and Polynesian Tahitians also know
firsthand the horrors of nuclear testing. Bikini is one of 29 atolls
and five islands that compose the Marshall Islands. These atolls are
located north of the equator and are scattered over 357,000 square
miles of the Pacific Ocean. Because of their location away from regular
air and sea routes, these atolls were chosen to be the nuclear proving
ground for the United States.
From 1946 to 1958, the United States detonated 66 nuclear weapons in
the Marshall Islands including the first hydrogen bomb,or Bravo shot,
which was 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion ever detonated by the
U.S., the Bravo shot vaporized 6 islands and created a mushroom cloud
25 miles in diameter. It has been said that if one were to calculate
the net yield of the tests conducted in the Marshall Islands, it would
be equivalent to the detonation of 1.7 Hiroshima nuclear bombs every
day for 12 years.
The U.S. nuclear testing program exposed the people of the Marshall
Islands to severe health problems and genetic anomalies for generations
to come. The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands also
set a precedent for France to use the islands of the Pacific for its
own testing program. For some 30 years, the French Government detonated
approximately 218 nuclear devices at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in
Tahiti. In 1995, while the world turned a blind eye, the newly elected
President of France, Jacques Chirac, announced that France would
violate the 1992 world moratorium on nuclear testing and explode 8 more
nuclear bombs at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls beginning in September
1995. Chirac said that the nuclear explosions would have no
``ecological consequences'' and described his decision a
``irrevocable.''
I also made an irrevocable decision and, in August 1995, accompanied
Mr. Oscar Temaru, who is now the President of French Polynesia, on the
Green Peace Warrior which took us to Moruroa in protest of President
Chirac's decision to break the world moratorium. Later, I personally
visited Moruroa under the supervision of the French Government and I
remember well the fact that on certain areas of the island, it was off-
limits and obviously contaminated and unfit for human occupation. After
years of denial, the French Government has finally admitted there are
leakages of radioactive materials from these atolls where the nuclear
tests were conducted. As a result, some 10,000 Tahitians are believed
to be severely exposed to nuclear radiation and the French Government
has done little or nothing to properly diagnose or even give medical
treatment to the Tahitian workers who were victims of this tragedy.
In 2003, as a direct result of my friendship with Ambassador
Saudabayev, I became aware of the magnitude of the problem of
Semipalatinsk. In August 2004, I felt a deep sense of obligation as a
Member of Congress who had visited the nuclear test sites in the
Marshall Islands and Tahiti to also visit the Semipalatinsk test site.
During my visit and in later discussions with President Nazarbayev, I
learned that I was the first American legislator to set foot on ground
zero in Kazakhstan.
Considering the courageous decision made by President Nazarbayev to
shut down the Semipalatinsk test site so that you and I and future
generations may live in peace, I believe we have a moral responsibility
to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters in Semipalatinsk. This
is why I am pleased that H. Res. 905 calls upon the Administration to
establish a joint working group with the Government of Kazakhstan to
assist in assessing the environmental damage and health effects caused
by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region by the former Soviet
Union.
As important as this resolution is, I also believe the international
community should more fully acknowledge Kazakhstan's contribution to
world peace. While I am pleased that this year's Nobel Peace Prize was
awarded to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), I believe President Nazarbayev should also receive the
Nobel Peace Prize for reaffirming the worth and advancing the rights of
the human person by dismantling the world's 4th largest nuclear
arsenal, closing and sealing the Semipalatinsk test site, and most
recently blending down 6,600 pounds of weapons-usable highly enriched
uranium, or enough to produce up to 25 nuclear warheads, converting the
material for peaceful use and thereby preventing it from falling into
the hands of terrorist organizations.
[[Page H5336]]
I also believe Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn
should likewise be honored for establishing the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative
Threat Reduction (CTR) program which provides assistance to Russia and
the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess
nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
With the recent announcement of our need to establish a global
initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and on the occasion of the 15th
anniversary of the closure of the world's second largest nuclear test
site at Semipalatinsk, it is only fitting and fair that we should
acknowledge Kazakhstan's commitment and leadership in nuclear
disarmament and nonproliferation. For this reason, I urge my colleagues
to support H. Res. 905 and I thank Minority Leader Pelosi and Majority
Leader Boehner for bringing this timely resolution to the floor.
Madam Speaker, I gladly yield 5 minutes to my dear friend and
colleague from the great State of Nevada (Ms. Berkley).
Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from American Samoa
for yielding.
I rise today to congratulate the people and the Government of the
Republic of Kazakhstan on the 15th anniversary of the closure of the
former Soviet nuclear test site within their borders. I am pleased to
commend Kazakhstan on its tireless work for nonproliferation of weapons
of mass destruction, and I call upon the administration and my
colleagues here in Congress to assist Kazakhstan in assessing the
environmental damage caused by Soviet testing.
This is a very important and very personal issue to me. I represent
southern Nevada, where the United States detonated over 900 nuclear
bombs at the Nevada test site in the 1950s and 1960s. Nevadans and
residents of surrounding States paid a very heavy price for this
testing especially during the above-ground testing years. Environmental
contamination and the devastating impact on the health of the people
living in this area, living in the southwestern region of the United
States of America, were unconscionable and unacceptable and can never
be allowed to happen again.
I remember as a kid growing up in Las Vegas, so many of my friends'
mothers and fathers worked at the Nevada test site. They would be
bussed into the test site during the week. They would be bussed home
during the weekend. Little did any of us realize that they were being
contaminated as they worked for our government in the attempt and in
the thought that they were doing something good and important for
national security.
I recall, after being elected to Congress, going to a meeting of all
the former Nevada test site workers, at least those that were still
alive. There were 200 people in the room when I walked in. We asked
that everybody in the room that had been a worker at the test site who
had some form of cancer, if they would mind standing and acknowledging
that fact. Every single person in that room, all 200 of them, stood up
because they were all suffering from a form of cancer.
Radioactive contamination from tests in both Nevada and in Kazakhstan
indiscriminately spread across the globe, eventually causing world
powers to recognize the terrible health risks, stop atmospheric
testing, and finally end all testing. We must prevent a return to
nuclear testing, and we must continue to redress the problems that have
been caused by testing over the last 60 years and continue to cause
environmental and health threats from the United States to the former
Soviet Union, Kazakhstan, to the South Pacific, Marshall Islands, and
many other places that have been harmed by nuclear testing.
Today is the 60th birthday of my friend and partner in opposing
nuclear proliferation, His Excellency Kanat Saudabayev, the Ambassador
to the United States from the Republic of Kazakhstan. I do not think it
is appropriate to acknowledge the fact that he is in the gallery, but I
will be joining him in the gallery to congratulate him on reaching this
milestone when I conclude my remarks.
It was my great pleasure in June to cochair, at his suggestion, a
public symposium in Las Vegas on the Legacy and Lessons of Nuclear
Testing in Kazakhstan and Nevada. Over 100 of my constituents joined me
and the Ambassador for this remarkable event, and it was with a strong
sense of commitment that I submitted into the Congressional Record the
Ambassador's and my joint statement of opposition to nuclear
proliferation and our ongoing commitment to working for a safer world.
I salute the Ambassador, his President, and the people of Kazakhstan
and look forward to working with them on eliminating the threat of
nuclear testing and nuclear weapons proliferation and congratulate them
for their very courageous actions.
I wholeheartedly support H. Res. 905. I commend my friend and
colleague, the gentleman from American Samoa, for drafting this timely
and important resolution, and I strongly urge its passage.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 5 minutes of
our time to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from American Samoa is
recognized for 5 additional minutes.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, how much more time do I have on this
side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 8\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I want to commend the gentlewoman from Nevada for a most eloquent
statement. And nothing pleases me more than to know that one of my
colleagues has had personal experience in dealing with nuclear testing.
I must say for the record I am probably one of the few Members who
have ever visited the actual nuclear test sites. I have been to French
Polynesia. I have been to Moruroa. It is not a very pleasant sight when
you see a nuclear explosion like a flower, a beautiful array of colors,
but very deadly. I have been to Semipalatinsk, ground zero, where the
Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear weapon in 1949. That place is
still contaminated. So with 10,000 French Tahitians who were exposed to
nuclear contamination, 1.5 million people of Kazakhstan exposed to
nuclear contamination, several hundred Marshallese people exposed to
nuclear contamination, Madam Speaker, I submit we have a moral
obligation to help these people, to assist them with their medical
needs. And, unfortunately, I must say my own government has not done a
very good job in helping the people of the Marshall Islands, providing
the best medical treatment that we can give.
When that 15-megaton hydrogen bomb was exploded, there was no warning
given to the people living in Rongelap and Utirik. And guess what? That
nuclear cloud that came over as result of the explosion of this
hydrogen bomb literally caused some very serious problems. I have
talked to some of the women in the Marshall Islands. Five times they
have had to have cancer operations of the lymph nodes. And this is just
an example of our failure as a government to fulfill our responsibility
to what we have done to these people in the Marshall Islands.
And I want to say that I commend also the Government of Kazakhstan
and all the efforts that they are making. I visited the hospitals, seen
the nuclear victims and, sad to say, the cancer, the results of women
not giving birth in normal cycles.
This is very bad, and I sincerely hope that my colleagues and we as a
government could be more responsible, especially in our responsibility
to the people of the Marshall Islands.
Madam Speaker, I have several documents of a symposium that was
conducted December 16, 2003, here in Washington, D.C., and I will
include in the Record the statement of Ambassador Kanat Saudabayev and
a table also indicating the various nuclear explosions that had taken
place since we started this madness in 1945 up until 1998.
A realistic comparison to make here: We exploded a 15-megaton bomb.
The Soviet Union exploded a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb in 1961, which was
3,333 times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs
that we exploded in Japan. You can just imagine what this means to the
1.5 million Kazaks who were exposed in this terrible, terrible time of
our world's history, what the Soviet Union had done to these good
people.
[[Page H5337]]
Madam Speaker, again I want to thank my good friend, the gentlewoman
from Florida for her support and management of this legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Symposium Remarks by Kanat Saudabayev
Hon. Senator Nunn, Congressmen Faleomavaega, Your
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, It is difficult to
overestimate the pressing urgency of today's symposium;
weapons of mass destruction and the desire by international
terrorists to use them have become the most dangerous threat
in the world.
The people of Kazakhstan have experienced first-hand the
devastating force of nuclear weapons. During four decades,
the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear explosions at the
world's largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk. The
cumulative power output of these explosions equaled 2,500
Hiroshima-size bombs. More than 1.5 million people suffered
from these tests in Kazakhstan, and vast territories became
absolutely useless for life.
That is why Kazakhstan made the unprecedented step in the
history of the world, and became the first country to shut
down a nuclear test site and renounce the world's fourth
largest nuclear arsenal. At that time this arsenal was larger
than the nuclear weapons stockpiles of Great Britain, France
and China combined. Kazakhstan had 1,040 nuclear warheads for
intercontinental. ballistic missiles (ICBMs) 55-18 and 370
nuclear warheads for cruise missiles, and 40 strategic
multipurpose bombers TU-95 to deliver them.
Today, there are no nuclear weapons in Kazakhstan. The
infrastructure of the test site has been demolished. This was
possible due to close cooperation between our two countries
during the past decade under the Nunn-Lugar Program.
It could have been very different. In the early days of
independence, there was no shortage of foreign emissaries
asking our President to keep the nuclear weapons, saying that
you are going to be the first and only Muslim nation with
nuclear weapons and that you are going to be respected by the
whole world. I must say that a significant portion of
Kazakhstan's elite of that time were also in favor of
keeping the nuclear arsenal. Today it would be fair to say
that our renunciation of nuclear weapons was a courageous
choice of historic significance by the President of
Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The President convincingly tells the story of what was
behind that choice in his book, Epicenter of Peace, which we
present to you today. I must say that the book's first
presentation in Washington was supposed to happen on
September 11, 2001. The time that has passed since that
tragic day has only confirmed and reinforced the urgent need
to tackle the problems discussed in the book. Yet another
argument against weapons of mass destruction and their
proliferation is the photo exhibit, Kazakhstan: From Nuclear
Nightmare to Epicenter of Peace, which you can see here.
Today Kazakhstan strongly urges the world to follow our
example and further reduce and eliminate nuclear arsenals as
well as other weapons of mass destruction, and prevent them
from falling into the hands of terrorists.
This is the reason Kazakhstan has become a strong partner
of the United States and the international coalition in the
fight against terrorism from the very first days after the
tragedy of September 11. We provide assistance to Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Today our troops, the only
ones. from our region, are taking part in the postwar
stabilization and restoration of Iraq.
I believe Kazakhstan's experience of cooperating with the
United States in nonproliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and eliminating the infrastructure that supports
them provide meaningful answers to modern challenges.
We are eager to further strengthen our cooperation with the
United States and other nations who are interested in the
prevention of further proliferation of WMDs.
Today's forum, taking place in the U.S. Congress, a
universally recognized citadel of democracy and freedom, is
vivid proof of strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan
and the U.S. to ensure security in the world.
There are people in this room today who by the call of duty
and the call of heart are committed to the ideal of
nonproliferation and are doing everything possible to free
the world of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The
symposium has gained a special significance with the
participation of outstanding statesmen such as senators Sam
Nunn and Richard Lugar who established the famous Cooperative
Threat Reduction Program. I believe their enormous
contribution to global security has yet to be fully
appreciated by the world.
The Presidents of our two countries, George W. Bush and
Nursultan Nazarbayev, support this symposium's goals and each
sent a message. It is with great pleasure that I would like
to carry out the honorable mission assigned to me by
President Nursultan Nazarbayev and read out his message to
the symposium.
____
Ambassador Saudabayev, assigned to Washington since
December 2000, brings an important contribution strengthening
the growing strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the
United States of America in the spheres of security, economy
and democratic development.
Before his appointment to the U.S., Ambassador Saudabayev
had a long career in the fields of government, diplomacy and
the arts.
In 1999 and 2000, he served as the head of the Prime
Minister's Office with the rank of Cabinet member.
In the 1990s, he served as Kazakhstan's Ambassador to the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to
Turkey.
During 1994, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador
Saudabayev worked to implement the developing foreign policy
of his young independent state. He was Kazakhstan's signatory
to NATO's Partnership for Peace agreement.
In the fall of 1991, he became the last Soviet Ambassador
ever appointed, to Turkey, by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev.
As he was planning to take up his post, the Soviet Union
ceased to exist. Within weeks he was on his way to Turkey
again, but as the first Ambassador ever from an independent
Kazakhstan to any nation.
Working in Moscow from September 1991 through May 1992 as
the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kazakh Soviet
Socialist Republic to the USSR, and then, after the Soviet
Union collapsed, to the new Russian republic, Kanat
Saudabayev was a direct participant in and a witness to many
crucial events of those historic days.
Before entering the diplomatic service, Ambassador
Saudabayev had a distinguished cultural career serving as
Chairman of the State Committee of Culture with the rank of
Minister, Chairman of the State Film Committee, and Deputy
Culture Minister. He began his career as a theatrical
producer.
Ambassador Saudabayev holds degrees from the Leningrad
Institute of Culture and the Academy of Public Sciences of
the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Kazakh State University
and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Moscow State
University. His service has been recognized with the Order of
Kurmet (Distinguished Service).
Kanat Saudabayev is married to Kullikhan with two sons and
a daughter, and three grandchildren. He was born in the
Almaty region in 1946.
____
MILESTONE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
[The following list is of milestone nuclear explosions. In addition to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, the first nuclear test of a given weapon type for a country is included, and tests which were
otherwise notable (such as the largest test ever). All yields (explosive power) are given in their estimated
energy equivalents in kilotons of TNT (see megaton).]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Name Yield (kt) Country Significance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jul 16 1945.................... Trinity........... 19 USA............... First fission weapon
test
Aug 6 1945..................... Little Boy........ 15 USA............... Bombing of Hiroshima,
Japan
Aug 9 1945..................... Fat Man........... 21 USA............... Bombing of Nagasaki,
Japan
Aug 29 1949.................... Joe 1............. 22 USSR.............. First fission weapon
test by the USSR
Oct 3 1952..................... Hurricane......... 25 UK................ First fission weapon
test by the UK
Nov 1 1952..................... Ivy Mike.......... 10,200 USA............... First ``staged''
thermonuclear weapon
test (not deployable)
Aug 12 1953.................... Joe 4............. 400 USSR.............. First fusion weapon
test by the USSR (not
``staged'', but
deployable)
Mar 1 1954..................... Castle Bravo...... 15,000 USA............... First deployable
``staged''
thermonuclear weapon;
fallout accident
Nov 22 1955.................... RDS-37............ 1,600 USSR.............. First ``staged''
thermonuclear weapon
test by the USSR
(deployable)
Nov 8 1957..................... Grapple X......... 1,800 UK................ First (successful)
``staged''
thermonuclear weapon
test by the UK
Feb 13 1960.................... Gerboise Bleue.... 60 France............ First fission weapon
test by France
Oct 31 1961.................... Tsar Bomba........ 50,000 USSR.............. Largest thermonuclear
weapon ever tested
Oct 16 1964.................... 596............... 22 China............. First fission weapon
test by China
June 17 1967................... Test No. 6........ 3,300 China............. First ``staged''
thermonuclear weapon
test by China
Aug 24 1968.................... Canopus........... 2,600 France............ First ``staged''
thermonuclear test by
France
May 18 1974.................... Smiling Buddha.... 12 India............. First fission nuclear
explosive test by
India
May 11 1998.................... Shakti I.......... 43 India............. First potential fusion/
boosted weapon test by
India (exact yields
disputed, between 25kt
and 45kt)
May 13 1998.................... Shakti II......... 12 India............. First fission
``weapon'' test by
India
May 28 1998.................... Chagai-I.......... 9 Pakistan.......... First fission weapon
test by Pakistan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page H5338]]
Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
resolution. I would first like to commend my good friend and colleague
from American Samoa, Eni Faleomavaega, for introducing this important
measure. He has been the leader in Congress on matters related to the
legacy of nuclear testing, both in the former Soviet Union and in the
Pacific, and we greatly appreciate his hard work.
Madam Speaker, upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the newly-
minted independent nation of Kazakhstan found itself in possession of
the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Kazakhstan inherited
more than 1,000 nuclear weapons and a squadron of heavy bombers armed
with 370 nuclear warheads from the Soviet Union.
Rather than embrace their nuclear status, the people of Kazakhstan
made a farsighted decision fifteen years ago. They closed their
nation's nuclear test site, and yielded all of their inherited nuclear
arsenal and weapons materials back to Russia.
Kazakhstan, the victim for so long of Soviet domination, completely
and voluntarily rescinded their membership in the nuclear club. The
nation proudly joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons, or ``NPT'', as a non-nuclear weapon state, the first time a
state that had possessed such a massive nuclear arsenal had done so.
While Kazakhstan made a wise decision to rid itself of its nuclear
arsenal, the damage to the environment and to the health of the people
of Kazakhstan will be felt for decades to come. Between 1945 and 1991,
more than 450 nuclear tests were conducted at the Semipalatink test
site, exposing more than 1.5 million innocent people to radiation and
causing massive damage to the environment.
It is for that reason that the United States should work with
Kazakhstan to establish a joint working group to help assess the
environmental damage and health affects caused by the nuclear testing.
Madam Speaker, Kazakhstan's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation,
and to nuclear disarmament, is an inspiring one, and a shining example
for others to follow. It has strengthened immeasurably the global
nuclear nonproliferation regime, and we greatly appreciate these
actions.
Madam Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all of
my colleagues to join me in doing likewise.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 905.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________