[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18627]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        CONDEMNING TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIAN FEDERATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 13, 2004

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California, Mr. 
Royce, as well as Chairman Hyde and Mr. Lantos from the International 
Relations Committee, for bringing this resolution before us today.
  In recent weeks the world watched in shock and horror as terrorists 
brought down two Russian aircraft and detonated a deadly bomb at a 
Moscow train station. Russia is no stranger to the global war on 
terror; still the devastation and timing of these attacks were notable 
and shook the confidence of the Russian people.
  But nothing prepared the world for the unspeakable act that was 
perpetrated in Beslan beginning the morning of September 1. On their 
way to the celebrate the first day of school, more than 1,100 
schoolchildren, parents and teachers were taken hostage by 
approximately 30 armed terrorists. These innocent men, women and 
children were inhumanely held with no food or water for more than 52 
hours, and their treatment at the hands of these terrorists was savage 
and cruel.
  Tragically, the siege ended in a hail of bullets and series of 
explosions. In the end more than 355 innocent hostages were killed, 
including 156 children. Nearly 200 persons still remain unaccounted for 
amid the rubble of the school.
  Let there be no mistake. These were not the actions of rebels or 
freedom fighters; these were the despicable and abhorrent acts of 
terrorists. As the Russian people attempt to come to terms with their 
loss and cope with the anguish inflicted by these loathsome 
individuals, may they find comfort in knowing they are in the thoughts 
and prayers of the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, the heart-wrenching scenes of parents frantically 
searching for missing children, or mourning the loss of their children 
have steeled the resolve of the United States to stand with the people 
of Russia, and rededicate ourselves to rooting out these cowardly 
terrorists from every corner of the world.

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