[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.

                          ____________________