[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18297-18298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     BERLIN CONFERENCE ON TERRORISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ballenger). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Pence) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to come to the floor today to 
spend a few minutes providing a very preliminary report on the status 
of our worldwide coalition against terrorism.
  Last week, I traveled to Berlin, Germany, to join leaders of our 
allied nations from around the world for the first international 
conference on terrorism since the attacks on New York and Washington. 
The conference included representatives from Great Britain, Germany, 
France, Belgium, Italy, Korea, Japan, Ireland, Israel, and even Jordan. 
I was privileged to lead a discussion with His Royal Highness, Prince 
Hassan of Jordan, and with Nobel Laureate David Trimble of the United 
Kingdom.
  During our meetings with America's strongest allies around the world, 
I arrived at four basic conclusions about our allied response to these 
terrorist attacks.

[[Page 18298]]

  Number one, my colleagues should be aware that all of our friends and 
partners, particularly the residents of Berlin, grieve with the people 
of the United States.
  From the piles of flowers, cards, and candles stacked waist-high on 
the barricades just outside the American Embassy to the teary-eyed 
mayor of a small town who handed a condolence book signed by everyone 
in his village to our ambassador, the evidence of genuine sorrow for 
the people of the United States was overwhelming.
  On Thursday, I met with my friend, Ambassador Dan Coates, formerly of 
this body and now our man in Berlin, as he showed me the thousands of 
drawings, cards, and letters sent to the people of the United States at 
the embassy, some simply were addressed in crayon to our ``Our Dear 
Friends.''
  As the only American official at this conference, I was inundated 
with heartfelt expressions of condolence, and I felt the awkward 
gratitude of a citizen of a nation not accustomed to asking for help.
  Second, I am pleased to report that our foreign policy initiatives 
immediately following the attack have been an unqualified success. 
President Bush has reversed many previous negative impressions of our 
country's leadership. In comment after comment, representatives from 
countries that had once ridiculed the United States foreign policy 
heaped praise on the patience and the strength of our President.
  Additionally, Hoosiers can be proud of the great work of our 
ambassador, Dan Coates. He has been the very personification of grace 
under pressure. I learned Thursday that he and his wife, Marsha, 
arrived in Germany only 4 days before the terrorist attacks. Less than 
1 week after his arrival, he stood to receive the sympathies of over 
200,000 Germans who gathered in a candlelight vigil at the Brandenburg 
Gate. This is a tribute all Americans should know about.
  Thirdly, the European political support for military action is firm 
but not permanent. Most of the participants of the conference openly 
spoke of the need for a strong retaliatory strike. As one diplomat 
said, the terrorists must ``learn that there is a steep price to be 
paid for such action.''
  Most also noted, however, that support for military action might not 
last long. Representatives from Great Britain and Germany spoke of 
strong antiwar movements in many NATO countries, and predicted that, 
after recovering from the initial shock of the attacks, left-of-center 
governments in these countries would, again, face pressure to withdraw 
support for U.S. action.
  America must act boldly and rapidly in insisting upon a military 
response before support from our allies dissipates.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, our allies are deeply skeptical about the depth 
of America's commitment in the Middle East. They must be reassured. 
Many of our friends in the Middle East told me privately that they 
believed the United States has been in retreat in the region since the 
early 1990s. The failure to respond forcefully to terrorist attacks on 
our North Africa embassies and the USS Cole, combined with the last 
administration's determination to pressure Israel into trading land for 
peace, has sent the message that U.S. resolve in the region is 
weakening.
  Whatever action we initiate must involve the overwhelming and 
sustained use of force to demonstrate our unwavering support for 
stability and democracy in the region. Only this type of response will 
allay concerns among our friends and provide a clear warning to our 
enemies that America is in the Middle East to stay.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I told all of the assembled diplomats and 
parliamentarians at a banquet on Friday evening that it was altogether 
fitting that we were holding this conference in the city of Berlin.
  When I first visited Berlin as a college student 25 years ago, the 
city was divided by a wall separating east from west. It was nearly 
universally accepted that this devastated city would remain divided, 
but the United States refused it abandon the dream of a reunified 
Berlin.
  From President Kennedy's airlift to President Reagan's challenge that 
Gorbachev ``tear down this wall,'' America stood for peace and freedom 
in Berlin. Today our dream of a reunited Germany and a thriving and 
united Berlin is a reality. If Berlin could rise from the ashes of war 
and division, surrounded on all sides by hostile powers, perhaps the 
Middle East, too, can rise from a history of warfare and deep disunity 
to become a place where peace and freedom prosper.

                          ____________________