[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 60 (Wednesday, April 16, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E636-E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SODERTALJE, SWEDEN ACCEPTS 5,000 IRAQI REFUGEES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 2008

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, as Chairman of the Commission 
on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Helsinki Commission, I rise 
today to recognize the generosity of the people of Sodertalje, Sweden, 
who have opened their doors to more than 5,000 Iraqi refugees. This 
small city has a population of 83,000 and has accepted more Iraqi 
refugees than the United States and Canada combined.
  On April 10, the Mayor of Sodertalje. Mr. Anders Lago, testified at a 
Helsinki Commission hearing entitled, ``OSCE Partner States and 
Neighbors Overwhelmed by Iraqi Refugees: Band-aid Solutions to 
Implosion in the Middle East?'' In his testimony, Mayor Lago noted, 
``The millions of refugees in the world must be a concern for us all, 
not just for those areas bordering on the breeding grounds of war, or 
for a small number of countries and cities such as Sodertalje.'' In 
addition, he said, ``Despite the fact that we need immigrants, 
Sodertalje has become a town that must now say--STOP, STOP, STOP. Do 
not misunderstand me. We will always help others when we can. We must 
act when the lives of our brothers and sisters are in danger. It is 
imperative that we have a humane refugee policy world wide. Our common 
agreement that all people are equal, no matter what color, religion or 
gender, must become a reality.''
  Madam Speaker, the country of Sweden has accepted more than 30.000 
Iraqi refugees since 2003. This is no doubt a commendable act of 
humanitarian kindness. I offer my heartfelt thanks and deep 
appreciation to the government of Sweden which is truly committed to 
assisting Iraqi refugees.
  It must also be noted that, while Mayor Lago has opened the doors of 
his small city to so many Iraqi refugees, the strains on its 
infrastructure have been tremendous. Nonetheless, his generosity. and 
that of the people of Sodertalje, put the United States to shame. The 
Mayor has clearly gone above and beyond the call of duty to help 
refugees from Iraq and he is nothing short of a ``humanitarian 
ambassador.''
  Madam Speaker. I thank Mayor Anders Lago and the people of 
Sodertalje, Sweden for their kindness and generosity, and I submit the 
Mayor's statement for inclusion in the Congressional Record.

Testimony of Anders Lago--Mayor of Sodertalje Municipality and Chairman 
 of the Executive Committee Before Helsinki Commission, April 10, 2008

       Chairman Hastings, Members of the Congressional Commission, 
     Distinguished Speakers and Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
       First and foremost I would like to thank the Commission for 
     your invitation. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you 
     about the difficult situation regarding the people now 
     fleeing from Iraq.
       Allow me to be totally frank. I am not the President, a 
     Cabinet Minister, an Ambassador or even a Member of the 
     Swedish Parliament. I am the Mayor of Sodertalje, a small 
     town with slightly more than eighty thousand inhabitants. I 
     am here today as the representative from a small country on 
     the northern edge of the European Union, but I can say with 
     both pride and disappointment, that when it comes to 
     refugees, I come from a great nation. The United States is 
     the country in the western world that accepts the largest 
     number of refugees. Directly thereafter comes Sweden, and 
     according to census statistics, it is my hometown that 
     receives most refugees in Sweden.
       Many Iraqi refugees have sought shelter in Sodertalje since 
     the start of the war in Iraq. Almost all belong to the 
     Christian minority. Sodertalje accepts approximately five 
     percent of all the Iraqi refugees who come to Europe. To 
     illustrate this even more dramatically, my little town alone, 
     receives more Iraqi refugees than the United States and 
     Canada together.
  We did not start the war in Iraq, however we assume a huge 
responsibility for those people who are affected.
       Last week I met with seven Iraqi pupils at a local school. 
     Meena, a girl in fifth grade, had a tear in her eye when she 
     said `` It is nice here in Sweden, but I miss my father.'' 
     Her father is still in Iraq. Another little girl, Meryem, 
     said with an edge to her voice, `` If the war continues, the 
     doors must be open for the refugees.'' All the children I met 
     have relatives left in Iraq. And those children live in homes 
     tormented with fear.
       When I asked these children what they wanted to be when 
     they are older, they brightened up and competed with one 
     another to tell me. Renza wanted to become an artist. Steve 
     wanted to become a policeman. Meena said shyly that she 
     wanted to be a doctor. These children, in spite of all 
     they have been through, have not let circumstances 
     diminish their ability to dream of the future.
       In Sodertalje we face three problems. Firstly our schools 
     and preschools are full; of the town's eight thousand pupils, 
     five hundred are enrolled in the special preparation

[[Page E637]]

     classes we have for newly arrived refugees. We can not hire 
     teachers or build schools fast enough to give all these, 
     often highly motivated pupils a good start in their new 
     country.
       Secondly there is a lack of living accommodation. A great 
     many of the refugees lodge with relatives or friends. We know 
     of cases of fifteen people sleeping on mattresses in a two 
     room apartment.
       And last but not least we have a shortage of job 
     opportunities. A small town can not possibly produce jobs for 
     a thousand refugees each year. Here the United States could 
     really help Sodertalje. American companies looking to set up 
     businesses or expand in Europe, are most welcome to visit my 
     home town. We need all the job opportunities we can get.
       I am in awe of the refugees' ambition and will to make new 
     lives for themselves. Many of those who come to our town are 
     well educated and motivated to start a new life in a new 
     country. We need immigrants if we are to manage the 
     demographic challenges we face, as the number of aging 
     citizens in the western world rises.
       Despite the fact that we need immigrants, Sodertalje has 
     become a town that must now say--STOP, STOP, STOP! Do not 
     misunderstand me. We will always help others when we can. We 
     must act when the lives of our brothers and sisters--are in 
     danger. It is imperative--that we have a humane refugee 
     policy world wide. Our common agreement, that all people are 
     equal, no matter what color religion or gender must become a 
     reality.
       The millions of refugees in the world must be a concern for 
     us all, not just for those areas bordering on the breeding 
     grounds of war, or for a small number of countries and cities 
     such as Sodertalje.
       Sodertalje works hard to spread the reception of refugees 
     equally over the whole of Sweden, to all cities and towns. 
     Internationally, we must find a model for an equal and more 
     responsible reception of refugees. We must also have special 
     support for the refugees on site in Iraq, in Jordan and in 
     Syria. Most of all, we must put an end to this and other 
     ongoing wars.
       The children I met last week have cousins and friends who 
     are left behind in Iraq. Those children are trying to lead a 
     normal childhood in a land where uneasiness and fear are 
     always present.
       I am not a President; I am not an Ambassador; but I know 
     that we must create a new future for the children fleeing 
     from war.
       And I know there is no time to lose.
       Thank you for your attention.

                          ____________________