[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5952-H5954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING VIOLENCE IN ESTONIA AND ATTACKS ON ESTONIA'S EMBASSIES IN
2007
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 397) condemning violence in Estonia and attacks on
Estonia's embassies in 2007, and expressing solidarity with the
Government and the people of Estonia, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 397
Whereas on April 27, 2007, a crowd of more than 1,000 pro-
Russian demonstrators gathered in Tallinn and riots broke out
across the city;
Whereas more than 153 people were injured as a result of
the pro-Russian riots, and one died as a result of stabbing
by another rioter;
Whereas several stores in Tallinn and surrounding villages
were looted as a result of the riots, and a statue of an
Estonian general was set on fire;
Whereas since April 27, 2007, the Government of Estonia has
reported several cyber-attacks on its official lines of
communication, including those of the Office of the
President;
Whereas on April 28, 2007, and in days following, the
Embassy of Estonia in Moscow was surrounded by angry
protesters who demanded the resignation of the Government of
Estonia, tore down the flag of Estonia from the Embassy
building, and subjected Embassy officials inside the building
to violence and vandalism;
Whereas on April 30, 2007, a delegation of the State Duma
of the Russian Federation visited Estonia and issued an
official statement at the Embassy of the Russian Federation
in Estonia that ``the government of Estonia must step down'';
Whereas on May 2, 2007, the Ambassador of Estonia to the
Russian Federation was physically attacked by protesters and
members of youth groups during an official press conference;
Whereas on May 2, 2007, the Swedish Ambassador to the
Russian Federation was attacked as he left the Embassy of
Estonia in Moscow, and his car was damaged by a crowd,
resulting in a formal protest to the Russian Federation by
the Swedish Foreign Ministry;
Whereas the Government of Estonia has reported other
coordinated attacks against Estonian embassies in Helsinki,
Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Riga, Prague, Kiev, and Minsk,
and the Estonian Consulate in St. Petersburg;
Whereas on May 2, 2007, Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus
Ansip stated that a ``sovereign state is under a heavy
attack'' and that the events constitute ``a well-coordinated
and flagrant intervention with the internal affairs of
Estonia'';
Whereas on May 2, 2007, the public prosecutor's office of
Estonia initiated an investigation into the cyber-attacks
against Internet servers in Estonia and requested cooperation
from the Russian Federation to identify the source of the
attacks;
Whereas on May 2, 2007, the European Commission expressed
its solidarity with Estonia and urged Russia to respect its
obligations to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,
done at Vienna April 18, 1961, and end the blockade of the
Embassy of Estonia in Moscow; and
Whereas the Embassy of Estonia in Russia has been closed
since April 27, 2007, and Estonia has suspended consular
services to Moscow because conditions remain unsafe for
Embassy officials: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses its strong support for Estonia as a sovereign
state and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) as it deals with matters internal to its
country;
(2) condemns recent acts of violence, vandalism, and
looting that have taken place in Estonia;
(3) condemns the attacks and threats against Estonia's
embassies and officials in Russia and other countries;
(4) urges all activists involved to express their views
peacefully and reject violence;
(5) honors the sacrifice of all those, including soldiers
of the Red Army, that gave their lives in the fight to defeat
Nazism;
(6) condemns any and all efforts to callously exploit the
memory of the victims of the Second World War for political
gain;
(7) supports the efforts of the Government of Estonia to
initiate a dialogue with appropriate levels of the Government
of the Russian Federation to resolve the crisis peacefully
and to sustain cooperation between their two sovereign,
independent states; and
(8) urges the governments of all countries--
(A) to condemn the violence that has occurred in Estonia,
Moscow, and elsewhere in 2007 and to urge all parties to
express their views peacefully;
(B) to assist the Government of Estonia in its
investigation into the source of cyber-attacks; and
(C) to fulfill their obligations under the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations, done at Vienna April 18,
1961.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H5953]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which 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
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution,
and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the only Member in the history of
Congress who survived the Holocaust and was liberated by the Russian
Army. I was therefore opposed to the decision and continue to remain
opposed to the decision by the government of Estonia to move a memorial
honoring Russian soldiers for their historic sacrifice during World War
II in liberating Estonia and many other parts of Europe from Hitler's
domination. What came afterward, however, is an entirely different
issue.
On April 27, over 1,000 pro-Russian demonstrators gathered in
Tallinn, the beautiful small capital of Estonia. That group soon got
out of control. Riots broke out across the city. Finally, over 150
people were injured. One person died.
The next day, the Embassy of Estonia in Moscow was surrounded by
angry, pro-Russian demonstrators who demanded the resignation of the
government of Estonia. The Estonian ambassador was physically attacked
by demonstrators during an official press conference. Even the Swedish
ambassador to Russia was assaulted when he left the Estonian Embassy in
Moscow.
Since the initial riots in Tallinn, the Estonian government has
reported other coordinated attacks against its Embassies in Helsinki,
Finland; Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Riga;
Prague and Kiev.
The Estonian government, with the assistance of NATO, has also been
investigating cyber attacks against the government's Web site, as well
as against the computer systems of political parties, banks, and media
organizations in Estonia. Cyber attacks in this day and age, Mr.
Speaker, can be devastating. The Estonian government estimates that
these attacks cost the targets tens of millions of Euros, a significant
sum for a small country like Estonia.
These incidents of violence have been condemned by a host of European
institutions. The European Commission has expressed its solidarity with
Estonia and urged Russia to respect its obligations under the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations. NATO has issued a similar statement
condemning the violence.
So, today, we in Congress join our friends in Europe in expressing
our strong disapproval of the unjustified and unacceptable Russian
attacks against Estonia, and we express our strong solidarity with the
people and government of the great democratic nation of Estonia.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this all-important measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise in strong support of this resolution
authored by our good friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus),
which condemns the violence within Estonia, condemns the attacks on
Estonia's Embassy in Russia that have taken place recently, and which
expresses our solidarity with the government and the people of Estonia
in the face of such violence and intimidation.
As the chairman has pointed out, the April 27 relocation by the
Estonian government of a Soviet-era statue and memorial, located in the
capital, led some ethnic Russians within Estonia and some Russians in
Russia itself to undertake violent demonstrations and threatening
intimidation. These events presented the rest of the world with the
worrisome prospect that Estonia and other countries once held captive
by the former Soviet regime would continue to be subjected to
organized, threatening behavior by their neighbor, Russia.
Additionally troublesome is the possibility that such behavior might
be supported by officials at high levels within the Russian government.
It is the view of the most impartial observers that in the days that
followed the memorial's relocation, the Russian government quite
obviously failed to adequately protect the Estonian Embassy in Moscow,
which was threatened for some time by a mob.
In Estonia itself, government, commercial and media Web sites
observed a series of suspicious and devastating cyber attacks,
reportedly originating from within Russia in what appeared to be a very
organized manner.
{time} 1540
All of that followed very violent demonstrations mounted by some
ethnic Russians within Estonia, demonstrations that required
significant engagement by the police to halt.
Mr. Speaker, since regaining their independence with the fall of the
Soviet regime, Estonia, as well as the other Baltic States, have worked
hard to overcome the serious impact of that decades-long occupation, a
period in which the native population in Estonia came close to becoming
a minority, a minority in their own land, due to the actions of the
Soviet government.
Many Baltic citizens were deemed to be threats to that occupation and
they were shipped off to Siberia, some never to be seen again, while
ethnic Russians were assigned by the regime to settle in the Baltic
States.
But with renewed independence, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have had
the opportunity to again take control of their future.
To their credit, they have worked with the Organization on Security
and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union to find ways to
address the presence of those who had been settled on their territories
during the Soviet era, finding procedures to grant proper citizenship
that, while tough in some cases, nevertheless provided a means for the
large ethnic Russian minorities to participate in the civic life of
those states whose independence was no longer questioned.
The European Union and the NATO alliance recognized the efforts by
these Baltic States to constructively address the challenges and to
implement general democratic and free market reforms.
That is why Estonia and other Baltic States are today members of both
the European Union and NATO, and why those organizations have stood by
Estonia in the face of the disproportionate reaction to the recent
relocation of the memorial, that reaction appearing to have had its
roots in Moscow.
Mr. Speaker, the Baltic States have more than earned their
independence through decades of repression and suffering under a
Communist regime.
It is important that through the adoption of this resolution before
us today, authored by Mr. Shimkus of Illinois, we make it clear that we
stand in support of Estonia and its independence in the face of threats
and intimidation.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join us in support of Mr.
Shimkus' resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the author of the resolution.
(Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member
Ros-Lehtinen for your time and the speedy movement of this resolution,
and it's timely with the President's trip to Europe.
A few things of note. I continue to follow, as the chairman knows,
the occurrences in the former captive nations, the European Union
countries, and mostly the Baltic countries, and it seems like we can
never get to forgiveness. It seems like countries always go back to
another point in time to address their grievances.
I've been on the floor numerous times to talk about Molotov-
Ribbentrop, and we've debated that and we've voted on that resolution.
We forget about Roosevelt's land lease deal that was very helpful to
the Soviet Union at that time, and as the chairman's correct, we also
forget about the sacrifices made by the Soviet Union in winning World
War II, especially on the Eastern
[[Page H5954]]
front. So his concerns are well-founded and very much appreciated by
this Member.
There was great hope after the fall of the Wall, as I served on the
German border during the Cold War era, that this would bring a new time
for Europe, a time of prosperity and peace, the rule of law, democratic
institutions. And that's why we continue to be frustrated by the
current involvement, because when there is peace and stability and the
rule of law, the people prosper, people on both sides of the boundary
lines. In this case the Estonians and across the border, the Russians,
they would both benefit from peaceful relations and coexistence.
But we just can't get there yet, and so that's why I'm very
appreciative of bringing this resolution because the decision by the
Estonian government to move the memorial, as the chairman said,
probably not proper in his estimation, I know that it can be said that
it was done with dignity, with consultation and moved to a place in a
military cemetery and given all the respects offered.
But having said that, what a free and independent country, a decision
it can make, doesn't justify the result. Again, that's why going back
to the comments of, can't we just forgive and can't we just move
forward, the great nations do not have to bully small neighbors. Great
nations can stand side by side with their smaller allies and their
neighbors to help them develop and grow.
And what we see from the Russian Federation is just the opposite. We
see them continually harass and bully their neighbors. Their neighbors
have made choices that we expect free and democratic countries to be
able to make, and just because the Russian Federation are unhappy with
that it does not give them the right to bypass the rule of
international law.
So this issue, as has been discussed earlier, the result of the
movement of the statue led to riots within Estonia by ethnic Russians
and also problems in the capital of Moscow, and as Ranking Member
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said, any impartial observer would say that there
was a move by the government to specifically not stop them, and there
is great evidence that they helped encourage this ability to be thugs
and bullies to ambassadors and government representatives of free and
democratic countries.
That's why I'm very thankful that the committee seemed right to bring
this resolution speedily to the floor. As cochair of the House Baltic
Caucus, I've been heavily involved for 10 years with NATO expansion,
the EU expansion and the energy disputes.
Estonia is one of our closest allies and friends in Europe. They have
been an integral part in our war on terror in having troops in
Afghanistan.
That is why House Resolution 397 is so important. The U.S. House of
Representatives must stand with our Estonian friends and refuse to let
them be bullied by the Russian government. The intimidation that
President Putin is using against our allies in Eastern Europe is simply
unacceptable.
Again, I'd like to thank the chairman for bringing this to the floor.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of our time.
Mr. LANTOS. Before yielding back our time, Mr. Speaker, I would like
to call the attention of all of my colleagues to an upcoming open joint
hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Russian Duma on June 21. This will be the first time
in history that the Foreign Affairs Committees of these two parliaments
will have met in joint session.
{time} 1550
I very much hope, and I know my distinguished ranking member, Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, joins me in hoping, that we will have a meaningful and
helpful dialogue with our Russian colleagues so that the current state
of tension between Russia and the United States could somehow be
diminished.
We had high hopes when the Soviet Union collapsed over 15 years ago,
but many recent statements by Mr. Putin and many actions by Russia,
including the action that we have just heard described against the free
and democratic Republic of Estonia, fill us with a great deal of
concern and anxiety.
I urge all of my colleagues to attend this joint session of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee and the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee in a
few weeks in our hope that before the President and Mr. Putin meet in
Kennebunkport we might have a legislative opportunity of exploring
candidly all of the issues that, at the moment, seem to divide us.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in
support of H.R. 397, which condemns violence in Estonia and attacks on
that country's embassies in 2007. It also expresses solidarity with the
government and the people of Estonia.
This past April 27, a crowd of more than 1,000 pro-Russian
demonstrators gathered in Tallin, the capital city of Estonia. The
gathering became unruly and riots broke out across the city. In the
end, over 150 people were injured and one person died from stab wounds.
On May 2, the Estonian Ambassador was physically attacked by
protesters during an official press conference. That same day, the
Swedish Ambassador to Russia was assaulted when he left the Estonian
Embassy in Moscow.
Since the initial riots in Tallin, this wave of violence continued,
and the Estonian Government has reported other coordinated attacks
against its embassies in Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Riga,
Prague, and Kiev, among other cities. The Estonian Government, with the
assistance of NATO, has been investigating cyber attacks against the
government's website, as well as against the computer systems of
political parties, banks, and media organizations. The Estonian
Government estimates that these attacks have cost the targets tens of
millions of euros.
Estonia is a well respected member of NATO and the European Union.
These incidents of violence have been condemned by a host of European
institutions. The European Commission and NATO have expressed their
solidarity with Estonia and urged Russia to respect its obligations
under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that this House also express its
disapproval of the unjustified attacks against Estonia. I urge my
colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, which denounces
violence in Estonia and attacks against its embassies, while also
expressing solidarity with the government and people of the great
nation of Estonia.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of our time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 397, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
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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