[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 133 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8866-H8868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONDEMNING IRAN'S COMMITMENT TO HOLD INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST DENIAL 
                               CONFERENCE

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 1091) condemning in the strongest terms 
Iran's commitment to hold an international Holocaust denial conference 
on December 11-12, 2006, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 1091

       Whereas Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed 
     his intention to hold an international Holocaust denial 
     conference entitled ``Study of Holocaust: A Global 
     Perspective'', to begin on December 11, 2006, in Tehran;
       Whereas in August 2006, Iran staged an international 
     contest of cartoons on the Holocaust, endorsing and promoting 
     prevailing anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stereotypes and 
     Holocaust denial;
       Whereas Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote in a letter in July 2006 
     to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ``Is it not a reasonable 
     possibility that some countries that had won the war (World 
     War II) made up this excuse to constantly embarrass the 
     defeated people . . . to bar their progress.'';
       Whereas on October 26, 2005, in a conference entitled, 
     ``The World without Zionism'', President Ahmadinejad stated 
     in a speech that ``Israel must be wiped off the map.'';
       Whereas thereafter, these anti-Semitic comments were 
     broadly condemned by the United Nations and others, including 
     in a measure passed by a unanimous vote of the United States 
     House of Representatives on October 28, 2005;
       Whereas Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's current intent to host an 
     international Holocaust denial conference is only the latest 
     in a series of threatening, anti-Semitic, Holocaust denial 
     statements and actions he has undertaken since assuming 
     power;
       Whereas to deny the Holocaust's occurrence is in itself an 
     act of anti-Semitism;
       Whereas one who denies the Holocaust, denies the greatest 
     modern tragedy of the Jewish people and the most extreme act 
     of anti-Semitism in modern history;
       Whereas Ahmadinejad's statements and actions occur in the 
     midst of Iran's relentless defiance of the international 
     community by rejecting nuclear nonproliferation standards and 
     the latest United Nations Security Council demand that Iran 
     immediately halt its efforts to enrich uranium; and
       Whereas the longstanding policy of the Iranian regime aimed 
     at destroying the democratic State of Israel, highlighted by 
     statements made by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, underscores the 
     threat posed by a nuclear Iran: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns in the strongest terms Iran's commitment to 
     hold an international holocaust denial conference on December 
     11-12, 2006, and any and all anti-Semitic statements made by 
     Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian 
     leaders;
       (2) reaffirms the United States commitment to prevent a 
     nuclear Iran;
       (3) calls on the United Nations to officially and publicly 
     repudiate all of Iran's anti-Semitic statements made at such 
     conference and hold accountable United Nations member states 
     that encourage or echo such statements;
       (4) calls on the United Nations Security Council to 
     strengthen its commitment to taking measures necessary to 
     prevent Iran from possessing nuclear power;
       (5) reaffirms the United States longstanding friendship 
     with and support for the State of Israel; and
       (6) vows to never forget the murder of millions in the 
     Holocaust and affirms its commitment to ensuring that such 
     genocide never happen again.


[[Page H8867]]


  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lantos) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1091 
authored by my good friend from Florida, Mr. Alcee Hastings.
  This resolution does some very important things, Mr. Speaker. It 
condemns Iran's commitment to hold an international Holocaust denial 
conference next week.
  The Iranian leadership has been the source of vile and appalling 
anti-Semitic statements denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to 
be wiped off the map. Iran's commitment to hold an international 
Holocaust denial conference reaffirms the radical regime's hateful 
policy aimed at destroying the State of Israel.
  Iran's continued defiance of the international nuclear 
nonproliferation standards and its unrelenting support of the Shiite 
insurgents in Iraq as well as terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas 
clearly indicates that Iran's reprehensible statements are more than 
mere rhetoric. The hateful words of the extremist regimes must be taken 
seriously.
  This resolution by Mr. Hastings condemns Ahmadinejad's stated intent 
to hold the Holocaust denial conference and calls on the United Nations 
to officially repudiate all of Iran's anti-Semitic statements and hold 
accountable United Nations member nations that promote such hateful 
statements.
  Moreover, Mr. Hastings' resolution reaffirms the commitment of the 
United States to prevent Iran from achieving its nuclear ambitions and 
vows to never forget the murder of millions in the Holocaust.
  To ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust must never happen 
again, it is critical that the world community in a united and cohesive 
manner condemns in the strongest form possible the actions and the 
statements of those who deny the Holocaust while actively planning yet 
another one.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in strong support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, first I want to acknowledge the efforts of the 
Democratic sponsor of this important measure, my friend and colleague 
from Florida, Congressman Hastings, who is well known as a strong 
fighter in the battle against all forms of bigotry, including racism 
and anti-Semitism.
  This was particularly evident in his distinguished term as president 
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe when a 
number of conferences on anti-Semitism were held with his support and 
sponsorship.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House today condemns in the 
strongest terms Iran's commitment to hold an international Holocaust 
denial conference next week. The conference, entitled ``Study of 
Holocaust: A Global Perspective,'' is clearly designed to spread the 
notion that the systematic state-sponsored murder of 6 million innocent 
men, women and children, principally Jews and other targeted groups by 
Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II, was either an 
exaggeration or a fabrication.
  As the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress, I am 
outraged at attempts to deny what I know from firsthand experience to 
be tragically true.
  Let me be very clear: Despite Ahmadinejad's lunatic statements, the 
Holocaust did happen. Six million innocent Jews and people from other 
targeted groups were slaughtered in this genocide. I personally 
suffered through it, and I lost virtually my entire family in this 
historic horror.
  We all remember, Mr. Speaker, George Santayana's famous statement 
that ``those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' 
Iran's Ahmadinejad not only wants the world to forget the past, he also 
wants it to be revised in the hope that history will be repeated with 
the destruction of Israel and the Jews. He clearly and forcefully 
demonstrated this at a conference in October 2005 when he stated, 
``Israel must be wiped off the map.''
  Last July Ahmadinejad spread more deception and anti-Western and 
anti-Israel propaganda when he sent a letter to Chancellor Angela 
Merkel of Germany suggesting that some countries who won World War II 
might have fabricated the Holocaust to embarrass the German people and 
bar their progress.
  In August, Mr. Speaker, Iran held an outrageous international contest 
of cartoons on the Holocaust to endorse and promote anti-Semitic and 
anti-Israeli stereotypes, as well as Holocaust denial. We can see that 
his hosting this Holocaust denial conference next week is just one more 
abominable step in Ahmadinejad's ugly journey to undermine the West, 
promote global anti-Semitism and destroy Israel.
  Ahmadinejad's declarations and actions are frightening not only to 
Israel but to the entire civilized world. Iran supports terrorist 
groups bent on destroying Israel and the West. Even more serious is the 
fact that Iran has defied the international community by rejecting 
nuclear nonproliferation standards and the United Nations Security 
Council's demand that Iran halt its efforts to enrich uranium. Thus, in 
the future, we could be facing an Iran prepared to use nuclear weapons 
to achieve its appalling destructive goals.
  Mr. Speaker, this powerful resolution not only condemns these 
outrageous Iranian actions, it also calls for the United Nations to 
officially and publicly repudiate Iran's anti-Semitic statements. U.N. 
member states that echo and encourage such statements should also be 
held accountable. As we all know, too many U.N. conferences and 
resolutions have been hijacked irresponsibly to promote the same anti-
Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions. I personally saw this 
happen in Durban, South Africa during a conference against so-called 
``racism'' 6 years ago which was hijacked by extremists who used that 
conference to denounce the State of Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, we also must continue our efforts to prevent Iran from 
becoming a nuclear power and to condemn its outrageous and destructive 
goals of destroying our ally Israel and other Western targets.

                              {time}  2015

  Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must remind the world that in spite of the 
lies by revisionist historians and Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust in fact 
did occur, and millions suffered and 6 million died.
  As we see from the ongoing atrocities in Sudan, the Holocaust saying 
of ``never again'' unfortunately has not proved to be true. Thus we 
must recommit to do all we can to stop Holocaust denial, remember the 
past, and in doing so, not be condemned to repeat it. We must do all we 
can to stop mass murder and genocide whenever and wherever it occurs, 
as it does today in Darfur.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield 
such time as he may consume to one of our leaders on the International 
Relations Committee, Mr. Burton of Indiana.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  I cannot imagine anybody denying the Holocaust. Anyone who has been 
to Israel and seen the Holocaust Museum or been to the Holocaust Museum 
here could have no doubt about the tragic events that took place by 
Nazi Germany in World War II.
  But what I would like to talk about in addition to that right now is 
some of the things that are going on right now that bother me a great 
deal, that parallel this. In August of 1939 Soviet Foreign Minister 
Molotov stunned the world by signing the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact 
under the watchful eyes of German Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop and 
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. They signed that nonaggression pact and 
what it guaranteed was that there would not be a war on two fronts. 
That was what Hitler wanted. And then Lord Chamberlain went to Munich 
and signed an agreement saying he would give away the Sudetenland in 
exchange for peace, and what happened was we had a war that killed 62 
million people. Sixty-two million people.
  We are now in the Nuclear Age, and this leader in Iran who is denying 
that

[[Page H8868]]

the Holocaust did not occur is hell-bent for leather to create another 
holocaust which, in my opinion, could kill hundreds of millions of 
people, not 62 million but hundreds of millions of people, by using 
nuclear weapons. And it is of great concern to me the things that he 
has been saying. Ayatollah Khomeini referred to the United States when 
he was alive as the ``Great Satan.'' The current leader and strongman, 
Ayatollah Khameneh'i, has ruled out any possible kind of relationship 
with the United States, calling us the ``Great Satan.'' And on October 
26, 2005, addressing a conference in Tehran entitled ``The World 
Without Zionism,'' Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, said Israel must 
be wiped off the map, described Israel as a ``disgraceful blot on the 
face of the Islamic world'' and declared that ``anybody,'' including 
the United States, ``who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the 
Islamic national fury.'' He went on to say, ``To those who doubt, to 
those who ask is it possible, or those who do not believe, I say 
accomplishment of a world without America and Israel is both possible 
and feasible.'' And then, quoting the Ayatollah Khomeini, he said, 
``Israel must be wiped off'' the face of the Earth, ``from the map of 
the world, and with the help of the Almighty, we shall soon experience 
a world without America or Zionism, notwithstanding those who doubt.''
  Now, today the Baker-Hamilton Commission indicated that we must start 
talking to Iran and others in the region. I have never been against 
talking, but it is distressful to me at a time when they are hell-bent 
to develop a nuclear program, a nuclear weapons program, and the whole 
world cannot stop them from doing it, that there should be dialogue 
with them. It is analogous to saying to Adolph Hitler, after he invaded 
Poland, ``We want to deal with you.'' They tried that. Stalin tried it. 
Chamberlain tried it. And 62 million people died.
  What we need to do right now is do whatever it takes to make sure 
there is not another holocaust. Whatever it takes. And that means 
making absolutely sure that people who are hell-bent to destroy Israel 
and the United States and Europe, if they don't agree with their 
religious beliefs, that they are stopped from developing nuclear 
weapons. We must not let them develop nuclear weapons.
  This resolution deals with the Holocaust that did occur, and what I 
am talking about is a holocaust that we do not want to occur. And the 
best way to make sure that does not happen is to make sure that the 
President of Iran and the ayatollahs over there do not get nuclear 
weaponry.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the distinguished author of this resolution, my good friend 
from Florida, Congressman Hastings.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend Tom 
Lantos, who has been stalwart in fighting not only anti-Semitism but 
bigotry throughout this world.
  I would like to start by saying that I am very grateful for the 
bipartisan cooperation of many House leaders to ensure that this 
important legislation was so promptly brought to the House floor. In 
particular, I would like to thank my good friends and colleagues, the 
majority leader, John Boehner; Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi; of course, 
as I have mentioned, my extremely good friend and mentor, the incoming 
chair of the House International Relations Committee, the distinguished 
gentleman from California, Tom Lantos; the current chair of the 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia; and my fellow 
Floridian and very, very good friend and colleague and classmate and 
ally in a number of mutual efforts on behalf of our respective 
constituencies; and the ranking Democratic member, Gary Ackerman from 
New York.
  I sincerely appreciate the assistance of all of these colleagues in 
allowing me to introduce this legislation and bring it to the floor for 
a vote on the second-to-last day of the legislative year and, 
importantly, prior to the occurrence of this nasty conference.
  The haste with which this bill was brought to the floor and its 
bipartisan support is a clear testament to the importance this 
congressional body places on public condemnation of anti-Semitism 
worldwide and the desire of congressional leaders to rid the globe of 
the scourge of anti-Semitism.
  The commitment of Iranian President Ahmadinejad and other Iranian 
leaders to hold a Holocaust denial conference on December 11 of this 
month is unabashed, reprehensible anti-Semitism at its worst. I learned 
about this 2 weeks ago at a conference in Malta. And to the man and 
woman that were there, everyone condemned this action.
  More than 70 years ago, a different leader from a different nation 
rose to power based on his open hatred of a particular group of people. 
He started by forcing Jews to identify themselves with the Star of 
David on their clothing and enacting restrictive laws for Jewish 
shopkeepers. He ended his crusade, ``the final solution,'' with the 
mass murder of 6 million or more Jews in extermination camps.
  I would recommend to Mr. Ahmadinejad that he do as some of us have 
done in the past, not even requiring of him that he meet in this 
Congress our only Holocaust survivor, who in fact suffered 
immeasurably, as did his family and friends and colleagues, at the 
hands of this kind of hatred. I would recommend to him that he do as I 
did: visit Auschwitz and Treblinka, and perhaps it would be there that 
he may come to learn of the horrors that so many people were confronted 
with.
  If ``never again'' means anything to us now, then we cannot ignore 
this latest egregious act of anti-Semitism. The world will not turn its 
back to President Ahmadinejad and Iranian leaders' anti-Semitic, anti-
Israel, and anti-U.S. public acts and statements. The same country that 
spews such hatred towards Jews is also on a determined path towards 
nuclear weapon possession. But that is a whole different conflict that 
needs to be discussed on a whole different day.
  For today I want to just end and focus on the topic of anti-Semitism. 
Let Iran's second Holocaust denial conference serve as a wake-up call 
for the entire international community about the endurance of anti-
Semitism in this world. As the president emeritus of the Organization 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, the 
world's largest regional security organization, and someone who has 
traveled extensively across this globe, I am acutely aware of the 
prevalence of anti-Semitism not only in Iran but worldwide. Combating 
anti-Semitism fits into my world view of the importance of fighting all 
types of bigotry. I have dedicated my entire professional life toward 
eradicating hate spewed by racists, anti-Semites, xenophobes and 
homophobes.
  I greatly appreciate the fact that my colleagues recognize the 
importance of a unified international condemnation of Iran's commitment 
to hold another Holocaust denial conference. We have a shared 
responsibility to promote awareness of injustice and preach tolerance 
education if we ever are to succeed in combating this widespread 
epidemic of hate.
  I certainly am deeply appreciative that Mr. Lantos and Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen saw fit to permit this matter to be brought to the body.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Florida for 
his eloquent statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank my good friend 
from Florida, Mr. Hastings, who is a proud defender of human rights and 
freedom and liberty here and abroad as well. We need more of them.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Westmoreland). 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. 1091, 
as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those voting have responded 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 question will 
be postponed.




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