[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 101 (Wednesday, June 18, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5520-H5522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING THE EFFORTS OF THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO BLOCK AN INTERNATIONAL
ARMS TRANSFER DESTINED FOR ZIMBABWE
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1270) commending the efforts of those who
sought to block an international arms transfer destined for Zimbabwe,
where the government has unleashed a campaign of violence and
intimidation against members of the political opposition, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1270
Whereas following the conduct of presidential and
parliamentary elections on March 29, 2008, Zimbabwe's
liberator-turned-despot, Robert Mugabe, unleashed a campaign
of terror and intimidation against opposition members,
supporters, and other civilians in a desperate attempt to
cling to power;
Whereas human rights groups have documented numerous
incidents of state-sponsored political violence in Zimbabwe
in recent years, and substantial political violence and human
rights violations committed by government agents accompanied
parliamentary elections in 2000 and 2005, and the
presidential election in 2002;
Whereas reports from the region indicate that the Mugabe
regime intends to continue this well-established pattern of
state-sponsored and targeted violence and intimidation in the
run-up to a second round of voting on June 27, 2008;
Whereas the Department of State found in its 2007 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices that the Mugabe regime
``engaged in the pervasive and systematic abuse of human
rights, which increased significantly'' in 2007, and reported
that ``state-sanctioned use of excessive force increased, and
security forces tortured members of the opposition, student
leaders, and civil society activists'';
Whereas the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum documented 586
incidents of torture, 855 incidents of assault, and 19
incidents of politically-motivated abductions and kidnappings
in 2007 alone;
Whereas Freedom House declared the Mugabe regime to be one
of ``the world's most repressive'';
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported on April 19, 2008, that
the Mugabe regime had established a network of informal
detention centers to beat, torture, and intimidate political
opponents and other civilians;
Whereas following the March 29 elections in Zimbabwe, a
Chinese vessel, the An Yue Jiang, arrived in South Africa
carrying a shipment of weapons for the Zimbabwean Defense
Force that reportedly included 3,000,000 rounds of AK-47
ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, and 3,000 mortar
bombs and tubes;
Whereas the delivery of such arms would only further
degrade the security situation in Zimbabwe, which has already
been compromised, as the materiel are likely to be used by
government security forces and militias to further abuse,
torture, and kill members of the political opposition and
other civilians;
Whereas the dock and freight workers of the South African
Transport and Allied Workers Union refused to unload the
shipment or transport its cargo;
Whereas the International Transport Workers' Federation
(ITF) called for an international boycott of the vessel,
stating, ``There's no prospect of there being a sudden
external invasion of Zimbabwe. And so it is very difficult
for anyone to conclude that this ammunition is likely to be
used for anything other than to take action against
opposition groups'';
Whereas the Congress of Southern African Trade Unions
joined in the call by the ITF and others for an international
boycott of the vessel;
Whereas the High Court of the South African port city of
Durban blocked the reported weapons transfer and ordered
South African authorities to prevent the vessel's passage
through South African waters;
Whereas press reports suggest that other governments in the
region, including those of Mozambique and Tanzania also
denied the vessel permission to dock at their ports;
Whereas Zambian President and Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Chairman Levy Mwanawasa commended South
Africa and Mozambique for blocking the arms shipment,
stating, ``I hope this will be the case with all the
countries because we do not want a situation which will
escalate the situation in Zimbabwe more than what it is'';
Whereas despite the SADC chairman's appeal to member
nations to block the delivery of ammunition of Zimbabwe and
China's alleged recall of the An Yue Jiang, Zimbabwe's Deputy
Information Minister Bright Matonga announced the shipment
had arrived in Harare on or around May 16, 2008;
Whereas while Beijing has denied that the shipment reached
its destination, speculation on the possible surreptitious
delivery of weapons to Harare continues;
Whereas the United States has been vocal in its
condemnation of the atrocities and violence in Zimbabwe, and
has implemented targeted financial and travel sanctions
against select members of the Mugabe regime and others who
``have engaged in actions or policies to undermine Zimbabwe's
democratic processes or institutions'';
Whereas in violation of the Vienna Convention, American
diplomats and officials from other embassies in Harare have
been repeatedly harassed by elements of the Mugabe regime in
retaliation for their repeated protests against the ongoing
state-sponsored campaign of terror ahead of the June 27
presidential runoff election, including the detention of the
American ambassador's vehicle for several hours on May 13,
2008, and the detention of 5 American embassy staff and 2
local embassy workers on June 5, 2008; and
Whereas Congress expressed its opposition to the Mugabe
regime's undemocratic policies in the Zimbabwe Democracy and
Economic Recovery Act of 2001, and other subsequent
legislation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes and commends the efforts of southern African
trade unions, religious leaders, and advocacy groups to raise
awareness about the possible weapons transfer to Zimbabwe as
part of a campaign to address the worsening political,
economic, and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe;
(2) recognizes and commends the efforts of those southern
African governments which denied access through their
national territories for a weapons shipment destined to be
received by a regime that continues to perpetuate gross human
rights violations against its own citizens;
(3) urges the United States to continue to work with
African governments and multilateral institutions to compel
Robert Mugabe's regime to respect the will of its citizens
and find a peaceful and timely solution to the current
political standoff; and
(4) urges the Permanent Representative of the United States
at the United Nations to advocate for an international
moratorium on all shipments of arms, weapons, and related
goods and services to Zimbabwe until the current political
crisis has been resolved and democracy, human rights, and the
rule of law are respected by the Government of Zimbabwe.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
General Leave
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution
and yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking the ranking member of the
full committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for introducing this very
important resolution.
[[Page H5521]]
Since the March 29, 2008 presidential and parliamentarian elections
in Zimbabwe and the 5-week delay in announcing the presidential
victory, President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF has carried out a reign of
terror on opposition supporters, opposition leaders, and civil society.
Mr. Mugabe's effort to coerce and intimidate the people of Zimbabwe
before the June 27 runoff have included the torture and beating of over
900 people and the loss of dozens of lives.
I strongly support H. Res. 1270, commending the efforts of the
southern African governments who sought to block an international arms
transfer destined for Zimbabwe.
The resolution specifically, one, recognizes and commends the efforts
of southern African trade unions, religious leaders and advocacy groups
to raise awareness about the possibility of weapons transfers to
Zimbabwe as part of the campaign to address the worsening political,
economic and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe; recognizes and commends
the effort of those southern African governments which denied access
through their national territories for a weapons shipment destined to
be received by a regime that continues to perpetuate gross human rights
violations against its own citizens; urges the United States to
continue to work with African governments and multilateral institutions
to compel Mr. Robert Mugabe's regime to respect the will of its
citizens and find a peaceful and timely solution to the current
political standoff; and urges the Permanent Representative to the
United States at the United Nations to advocate for an international
moratorium on all shipments of arms, weapons, and related goods and
services to Zimbabwe until the current political crisis has been
resolved and democracy, human rights and the rule of law are respected
by the Government of Zimbabwe.
The successful transportation of arms into Zimbabwe may have
increased the political violence that already exists. It is critically
important that the international community work together with regional
leaders at the Africa Union and sub-regional organizations to foster a
peaceful resolution towards the human rights violations facing the
Zimbabwean people.
Madam Speaker, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the ranking member of the
Subcommittee on Terrorism and Nonproliferation.
Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, of
which I am an original cosponsor. I worked on this draft.
And as we previously discussed during the debate of Mr. Payne's
previous resolution, Zimbabwe is in very grim shape. We had a flawed
election there in March, and Robert Mugabe launched a campaign of
terror on his population as a consequence of that election going
against him.
But Madam Speaker, this string of violence really could have turned
into a blood bath were it not for the South African dock workers who
stood up to say ``No.'' While post-election tensions there were very
high, a Chinese ship pulled into the South African port of Durban to
unload its cargo that was destined for Zimbabwe. On board were 3
million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3,000 mortar rounds, 1,500
rocket-propelled grenades. Left to the South African Government, whose
President, Mbeki, has worked to protect Mugabe, the shipment would have
no doubt been delivered. But fortunately the citizens of South Africa
are ahead of their government in realizing the odious nature of the
Zimbabwe regime and the members of that dock workers union stood upon
and said ``No.'' A newspaper published the details of the shipment. The
dock workers refused to unload it, public interest groups obtained a
court order preventing the weapons transit. And denied access in South
Africa, the ``ship of shame'' as South Africans began to call it, as
African civil society dubbed it, went on to Mozambique, where it was
turned away, went on to other ports in other countries where it was
turned away, and it steamed back to China.
Africans stood up for fellow Africans; an inspiring event, indeed.
And frankly, it reminded me in the early 1970s of when we saw a labor
leader at a Polish port who stood up, and his name was Lech Walesa. And
he faced off against Soviet tyranny and he demanded democracy and
freedom for Poland. There were echoes of Lech Walesa in the South
African port workers as they said they were not going to play a role in
Mugabe's brutality.
Madam Speaker, the ``ship of shame'' also highlights the destructive
role of China on the African continent, which has played the role of
enabler in other African violence there. During the incident, a Chinese
spokesman described the shipment as ``normal trade in military
products,'' which speaks volumes about Beijing's policy of supplying
weapons to regimes like Zimbabwe and Sudan.
China provided machetes to the Rwandan Government to carry out its
1994 genocide. It does this for political influence and for economic
gain. And China is currently Zimbabwe's largest investor and second
largest trading partner, where it secures much-needed natural
resources.
China will, for the foreseeable future, continue to turn a blind eye
to the conflicts that it helps ignite, all the while sticking to its
so-called ``principle'' of ``noninterference.'' Clearly, this includes
genocide and potential mass violence.
But this resolution is about Africans. We should give credit, as this
resolution does, to those countries that have taken a strong stand,
refusing to become complicit, no matter how small a role, in the
fomentation of violence. And that is what these dock workers and others
in civil society in Africa stood up and did. And I urge passage.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
And I, too, rise in strong support of H. Res. 1270 and want to
commend our ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for authoring this and
helping to bring it to the floor. And I thank the majority for its
support, including Chairman Payne, of this important resolution.
This resolution addresses the courage of those brave souls who took a
stand for peace and democracy as they sought to block an arms shipment
that was headed for Zimbabwe. I also strongly support this resolution's
call for an arms embargo against the Mugabe regime.
In these dark days in Zimbabwe, it is encouraging that we recognize
something positive, the efforts of those who have tried to stop the
violence, the intimidation, and the bloodshed that have become the
hallmark of the Mugabe regime.
It is no secret to the people of Zimbabwe or to those in the region
that this regime has become the poster child for human rights abuses,
but in order to bring about change in Zimbabwe those in the region and
the wider international community have to take a real stand. That is
what dock and freight workers did in the port city of Durban, South
Africa, when a Chinese ship reportedly carrying millions of rounds of
AK-47 ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, and thousands of
other bombs for the Zimbabwean Defense Force came into port in early
April. The dock and freight workers, as my colleagues have already told
us, of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union refused to
offload the weapons--another reason why I like labor unions. They
refused to get the blood of the people of Zimbabwe on their hands. With
other civic groups of South Africa supporting the workers, a movement
grew for an international boycott of the Chinese ship. Eventually, the
governments of South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania denied the ship
permission to enter their ports.
Now I ask my colleagues to support a move to go a step further and
support an international arms embargo against Zimbabwe for as long as
Mugabe and his cronies are undermining democracy and using violence in
that country. The more weapons that enter Zimbabwe, the more likely
that Mugabe's forces will use them against their opponents.
H. Res. 1270 will send a message to the international community and
to Mugabe himself that civilized nations will not sit by and allow him
to run roughshod over his own people. It remains to be seen if China
will see fit to
[[Page H5522]]
place principle over profit and ensure that its weapons stay out of
Mugabe's hands. Its track record not just in Zimbabwe, but also in
Sudan, has not been a good one, and so, frankly, I would not be that
optimistic about China's performance in the future.
This is a good resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PAYNE. Let me conclude by once again thanking the sponsor of this
very important resolution. I think it's been said very clearly that
when people stand up, we can defeat tyranny.
I compliment the dock workers who refused to unload the ship. As has
been mentioned, the solidarity movement in Poland led to democracy
there. And actually, back in the sixties, there was an incident during
the height of the Cold War where the dock workers of Newark refused to
unload a ship of furs from the Soviet Union.
{time} 1345
At that time, Krushchev said they were going to bury the U.S., and
the ILA and the dock workers refused to unload that ship, once again
showing solidarity. As a person who worked on the docks of Newark for 4
years during my early career, I certainly appreciate the strength of
the dock workers and the labor unions and ILA from around the world.
I think we have to work on proliferation of conventional weapons that
we see throughout the world. I think we have to really monitor and rein
in the People's Republic of China that continues to support the brutal
regime in Sudan with the atrocities in Darfur. We have to say that if
we are going to be a country living in the community of world nations,
then there is a responsibility to act responsibly in this new
millennium.
And so with that, I urge the passage of House Resolution 1270.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res.
1270, which commends the efforts of those who sought to block an
international arms transfer destined for Zimbabwe, and calls for an
arms embargo against the Mugabe regime.
There was a time when Robert Mugabe spoke persuasively about an
independent Zimbabwe governed by majority rule and inspired millions.
And when Zimbabwe finally won its independence, Mugabe was hailed as
a liberator and a hero.
But at some point over the past 28 years, the vision of a peaceful,
democratic Zimbabwe became distant and grossly distorted.
As early as 1982, Mugabe unleashed his infamous North Korean-trained
5th Brigade to crush an uprising in the Matabeleland and Midlands
provinces, and slaughtered an estimated 20,000 of his ethnic rivals.
Later in 2005, the regime launched ``Operation Clear out the Trash,''
destroying nearly 100,000 housing structures and depriving an estimated
700,000 people of their homes, livelihoods, or both during Zimbabwe's
harsh winter.
The Mugabe regime has become a brutal kleptocracy, content to rule by
the barrel of the gun, while the people of Zimbabwe struggle to
survive.
Clearly, he has had a lot of practice.
Zimbabwe's disputed elections of 2000, 2002, and 2005, were all
marred by substantial levels of state-sponsored violence, political
repression, voter intimidation, vote-rigging and other forms of
manipulation by the ruling ZANU-PF party.
That pattern not only continued, but also accelerated in the run-up
to the elections of March 29th.
According to the State Department's 2007 Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices, the Mugabe regime, ``engaged in the pervasive and
systematic abuse of human rights, which increased significantly [in
2007] . . . state-sanctioned use of excessive force increased . . . and
security forces tortured members of the opposition, student leaders,
and civil society activists.''
The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum documented 586 incidents of
torture, 855 incidents of assault, and 19 incidents of politically-
motivated abductions and kidnappings in 2007 alone.
On April 19, 2008, Human Rights Watch reported that the Mugabe regime
had established a network of informal detention centers to beat,
torture, and intimidate political opponents and other civilians,
In the days following the March 29th elections, reports of violent
political repression, illegal farm invasions, and, other gross
violations of human rights by security forces and ruling party
supporters increased at alarming rates.
In a report issued earlier this month, Human Rights Watch details the
systematic campaign of terror unleashed by the regime ``in an effort to
destroy the opposition and ensure that Mugabe wins the presidential
runoff elections on June 27, 2008.''
In one incident, the report quotes soldiers threatening a group of
villagers by saying, ``If you vote for MDC in the presidential runoff
election, you have seen the bullets, we have enough for each one of
you, so beware.''
So when a Chinese ship arrived at the port city of Durban, South
Africa, reportedly carrying 3 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1,500
rocket-propelled grenades, and 3,000 mortar bombs and tubes for the
Zimbabwean Defense Force in early April, observers were understandably
concerned.
But before the international community even knew about the potential
arms transfer, the dock and freight workers of the South African
Transport and Allied Workers Union had taken matters into their own
hands.
Determined not to contribute to the brutal suppression of opposition
voices in Zimbabwe, the dock and freight workers courageously refused
to offload or transport the weapons.
The International Transport Workers' Federation, the Congress of
Southern African Trade Unions (COSATU), religious leaders and other
advocates quickly expressed their solidarity with the workers and
launched a campaign calling for an international boycott of the vessel.
Before long, the governments of South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania
reportedly were compelled to deny the ship permission to dock at their
ports.
Zambian President and Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Chairman Levy Mwanawasa publically praised their actions and appealed
to all 14 SADC member nations to block the shipment.
The heroic efforts of the dock and freight workers, southern African
trade unions, religious leaders, advocacy groups and southern African
Governments to block the arms shipment deserve recognition and praise
of the highest order.
Through their valor and steadfastness, these courageous individuals
may ultimately save countless lives from Mugabe's reign of terror.
It is now incumbent upon all responsible nations to stand in
solidarity with the governments and people of southern Africa, and to
deny this murderous regime the means to continue oppressing its people.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1270, which
commends those who boldly acted to block a shipment of weapons from
China to Zimbabwe, and calls for an international moratorium on any
future transfers until the current political crisis has been resolved.
I particularly call upon my colleagues who support strengthened ties
between the United States and China to convey to their friends in
Beijing that their continued engagement with the Mugabe regime can
provide no tangible benefit.
Continuing the shipment of weapons to Zimbabwe at this time only
makes them complicit in the campaign of terror and intimidation that
has been unleashed upon the Zimbabwean people.
If China wishes to mend its tarnished image, denying weapons sales to
known perpetrators of human rights violations might be a good place to
start.
Mr. PAYNE. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1270.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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