[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6490-6491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       BRINGING SOUTH DAKOTA'S STRENGTH TO THE WORLD'S CHALLENGES

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today I share with my colleagues a 
summary of the key findings from our recent official congressional 
delegation trip to North Africa, Turkey, Greece and Macedonia. Those 
findings are outlined below, and they relate to opportunities for trade 
and investment in North Africa as well as prospects for rapprochement 
between Turkey and Greece and the admirable efforts of our troops to 
bring peace and stability to Kosovo. I have already shared these 
findings with the Secretaries of Defense and State and am glad to do so 
now with our colleagues in Congress. We had a number of substantive 
discussions on this trip that I believe will contribute to U.S. policy 
in these two important regions of the world.
  I am proud of, and grateful to, all the American personnel with whom 
we worked. They facilitated the educational value of the trip and are 
true ambassadors for their country abroad.
  I especially want to call the Senate's attention to the South 
Dakotans I visited on this trip. On a daily basis, South Dakotans are 
improving the lives of people struggling with drought in southern 
Morocco and picking up the pieces after ethnic conflict in Kosovo. I am 
impressed by the way individual South Dakotans are helping people 
throughout the world get another chance at a better life.
  In 1999 and 2000, Morocco suffered its most severe drought in a 
decade. Drought in Morocco, where 20 percent of the GDP is accounted 
for by agriculture, and roughly half the population is employed in 
agriculture, extracts a steep human toll.
  In that environment, experienced farmers, who have lived through and 
conquered the challenges of drought, can be the key to saving a crop, 
not to mention lives. Imagine the good fortune for the Moroccan 
community just outside of Essaouira when they were assigned two Peace 
Corps volunteers from Brookings, South Dakota, with several decades of 
experience in farming. Just a few years ago, after raising their 
children and putting them through school, Frances and Harris Davis sold 
their family farm in Elkton, SD and joined the Peace Corps. They 
joined, in the words of Fran Harris, to give back some of the blessings 
they had received in their years as farmers in Elkton.
  For more than two years, family by family, the Davises have been 
improving the lives of countless Moroccans. They have helped Moroccans 
with land and water management in the midst of a crippling drought. 
Because tools are scarce in their region, they have become a resource 
to cash-strapped farmers throughout southeastern Morocco. And using the 
experience they gained making their own farm vehicles work, they have 
even been mechanics for numerous vehicles, including the water truck in 
a thirsty town.
  Not only are the people they have helped much better off. The United 
States, because of the goodwill that Fran and Harris have generated, is 
also better off.
  And the same is true of the three South Dakotans, and their families, 
I met at Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey. These individuals are key 
members of U.S. Operation Northern Watch, ONW, an operation that has 
been successful in protecting Turkey's Kurdish minority for much of the 
last decade.
  Col. Maurice H. Forsythe, born in Brookings and a graduate of South 
Dakota State University, was deployed to Incirlik with his wife Tamara 
and their son Riley. Colonel Forsythe was Combined Forces Air Component 
Commander for Operation Northern Watch, coordinating all flight 
activity out of Incirlik. Notwithstanding an Iraqi bounty of $14,000 
for any Iraqi who downs a ONW aircraft, the U.S., Great Britain, Turkey 
coalition has not yet lost an aircraft, a tribute to Col. Forsythe's 
leadership and hard work.
  Captain Pat Castle, of Sioux Falls, was deployed to Incirlik last 
year. While Captain Castle fulfills his duty with the Air Force, he and 
his wife Angie are also raising their 1-year-old daughter Paige on the 
base at Incirlik. Senior Airman Krissy Sayles of Lead, SD, was also 
deployed to Incilik late last year from Shaw AFB in South Carolina. 
Krissy Sayles provides logistical support to the U.S. and British 
personnel and airplanes that are enforcing the no-fly zone in Iraq and 
has provided the same service in assignments throughout the Middle 
East. Compounding her sacrifice, her husband, also in the Air Force, 
remains in the U.S. while Senior Airman Sayles works halfway around the 
world in Turkey.
  Paul E. Poletes, also of Sioux Falls, is a diplomat in the U.S. 
Foreign Service stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Paul Poletes 
is responsible for making sure that U.S. personnel in Athens have the 
infrastructure they need to advance U.S. interests in Greece and the 
European Union. Paul and his wife were recently assigned to Bangladesh, 
where he will work to advance the interests of the United States as 
well as help Bangladeshis, one of the world's poorest countries.
  Our delegation also visited Camp Able Sentry in Skopje, Macedonia to 
meet with the U.S. and NATO personnel who have done so much to 
stabilize Kosovo. U.S. Army Sergeant Jonnie D. Larsen, a 1989 graduate 
of Menno High School, was deployed to Kosovo with his battalion from 
Baumholder, Germany. U.S. Army Platoon Sergeant Michael Mewherter, from 
Bowdle, SD and a 1987 graduate of Clear Lake High School, was also 
deployed to Kosovo from Fort Bragg, NC.
  Among the many compliments for the hard work of Americans serving in 
Kosovo we heard on our trip, two stand out. The first was from KFOR 
Commander, Italian General Cabigiosu, who said the U.S. component was 
the glue that kept NATO's KFOR together. And the second is from the 
children of Kosovo, who admire Sergeant Larsen, Staff Sergeant 
Mewherter and the rest of the American servicemen and women as the 
force that returned their stability and their future.
  We ask our servicemen and women like Jonnie Larsen and Michael 
Mewherter to do a lot. Time and again, including this time, when both 
these young men were deployed to Kosovo for several months without 
their families, they respond.
  Americans from each and every state are having a positive impact on 
the lives of people the world over. I was

[[Page 6491]]

fortunate to see how these seven individuals from South Dakota have 
done such a fine job. Their efforts make me proud, America stronger and 
the world better.
  I ask unanimous consent that a summary of the key findings from our 
recent official congressional delegation trip to North Africa, Turkey, 
Greece and Macedonia be inserted in the Record at the close of my 
remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered.

   Codel Daschle to Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Portugal, 
                          February 16-25, 2001

       From February 16 to February 25, Senate Democratic Leader 
     Tom Daschle, SD, led a Senate delegation on an official visit 
     to Morocco, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Portugal. The 
     delegation also included Sen. Harry Reid, NV, Sen. Tom 
     Harkin, IA, Sen. Kent Conrad, ND, Sen. Byron Dorgan, ND, and 
     Sen. Barbara Boxer, CA. This trip report summarizes the 
     findings of that trip.
       Summary of key findings:
       The U.S.-North Africa economic partnership initiative, 
     commonly referred to as the Eisenstat Initiative, is valuable 
     effort to advance American trade and investment in a growing 
     market. With 80 million people and a combined GDP of $137 
     billion, there are good opportunities for U.S. companies to 
     invest and trade in the countries of North Africa, and U.S. 
     firms are beginning to reap the benefits of this initiative. 
     U.S. firms are expanding in the energy, aircraft and telecom 
     sectors in Morocco alone.
       The U.S. should give consideration to other creative ideas 
     in order to boost American involvement in North Africa 
     markets, including debt for equity swaps. In any case, 
     aggressive promotion of U.S. exporters and investors is a 
     necessary counter to the traditional ties--and aggressive 
     subsidies, of European influence in North Africa.
       The American and British personnel that operate in Iraqi 
     air space to enforce the no fly zone and to monitor Iraqi 
     compliance with relevant United Nations Security Council 
     resolutions do so at great risk.
       The delegation is concerned that there is not an 
     appreciation within Washington--in the Administration and in 
     the Congress, for the extreme risk that American personnel 
     undertake daily.
       The bombing in southern Iraq above the 33rd parallel on 
     February 16 was a justifiable response to increased Iraqi 
     efforts to target U.S. and British planes, but the delegation 
     expresses its strong regret that the Bush Administration did 
     not consult, or even notify, Congress of the planned 
     bombings. Given the strong international criticism of the 
     containment of Iraq--which the delegation encountered during 
     its trip--it behooves the Bush Administration to consult more 
     closely with Congress so as to ensure domestic consensus on 
     this critical issue.
       The delegation is concerned that, two weeks after the 
     initial disagreement that gave rise to the economic crisis in 
     Turkey, there is as yet no plan to get Turkey's economy back 
     on track. The underlying strength of the Turkish economy as 
     well as the perseverance of the Turkish people will be 
     tremendous assets in developing that plan.
       In Greece, the government is taking important steps toward 
     confronting the threat of terrorism in that country. 
     Cooperation with international forces is increasing, but 
     ultimately results in the fight against terrorism will be the 
     key to easing U.S. concern about terrorism in Greece.
       The delegation was impressed with, and proud of, the clear 
     and positive impact of U.S. personnel in Kosovo. U.S. 
     personnel make up a relatively small portion of the overall 
     KFOR force, representing less than 15 percent of the total 
     force and the trend of U.S. portion of the force is due to 
     continue decreasing (the U.S. component will represent just 
     13 percent of the total force by 2001).
       The U.S. and NATO leadership believe that the U.S. should 
     maintain a presence in Kosovo for the foreseeable future. The 
     U.S. leadership feared that a pull out of American forces 
     would not only risk the successes to date in the Balkans, but 
     that it would be a major blow to the NATO alliance.
       The U.S. personnel involved in KFOR, from the general 
     officers to the enlisted, also strongly touted the training 
     benefits of this deployment, calling it the best possible 
     training U.S. personnel can get. The U.S. leadership 
     maintained that morale among U.S. forces in Kosovo is ``sky 
     high'' and reported that re-enlistment rates among Army 
     personnel in Kosovo is higher than anywhere else.

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