[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24910]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       RUSSIAN ARMS SALES TO IRAN

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, there is no greater sponsor of terrorism in 
the world than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran has taken Americans 
for hostages, given weapons to suicide bombers, and taken the lead in 
the movement to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. There is no 
government more radical, more extremist, or more dangerous to our 
national interests.
  So why did Vice President Al Gore cut a deal with the Russians to 
allow weapons sales to Iran? Al Gore himself when he was Senator 
introduced the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act in 1992. And now he 
winks and nods to Viktor Chernomyrdin, letting him know it is okay to 
violate American national interests.
  Mr. Speaker, the recent bombing of the U.S.S. Cole demonstrated again 
how serious a threat terrorism is to America and her allies. It is a 
violation of law to tell Russians it is okay to sell arms to Iran. 
Worse, it places American lives at risk. And now they are trying to 
hide it from Congress. We expect better judgment from a man who wants 
to be our President.

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