[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12781-12784]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 12782]]

     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.
  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 bloodbath 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.

[[Page 12783]]

  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 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.

[[Page 12784]]

  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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