July 1, 2005 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7903 I was a young woman in my twenties Whatever the name, this operation is In light of this alleged, sustained and serving in the Louisiana State Legisla- horrific. It is appalling. And it must deliberate destruction, I commend Kofi ture when Justice O’Connor was ap- end. Annan’s recent decision to send Ms. pointed to the Supreme Court, and I re- As a State Department spoke Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka as his Spe- member that day very clearly. I always sman affirmed last week—‘‘it’s cial Envoy to to further in- knew I wanted to serve the people of uncondonable, inexcusable, and we will vestigate and respond to this tragedy. my country, and on that day I realized continue to speak out and act dip- Anna currently serves as the Under- that there was no limit to what one lomatically to achieve justice for those Secretary General and Executive Di- woman could do. who have been so senselessly disadvan- rector of U.N. HABITAT, and is a good And today, 24 years later, I am a taged.’’ That is why I speak today. friend. woman standing on the floor of the The targets of this ongoing campaign This past Sunday, Anna arrived in U.S. Senate while the number of are Zimbabwe’s very poorest citizens— Harare as the head of a seven-member women in the Louisiana State Legisla- individuals who are already suffering delegation to investigate the true im- ture has grown from 2 to 24. We all owe from 80 percent unemployment, 600- pact of Mugabe’s so-called ‘‘cleaning’’ a great debt to pioneering women like percent inflation and widespread food operation. Sending Anna and the delegation is a Sandra Day O’Connor who broke the shortages. An the true reasons for this very positive step, and I am encouraged judicial glass ceiling and paved the campaign have not been made fully by the visit. And I urge President way for me and for millions of other clear. Mugabe to continue to allow Anna and Zimbabwe’s President, Robert women. her team full access to impacted areas. But O’Connor’s legacy is not limited Mugabe, says the crackdown is de- I look forward to hearing about and to the barriers she broke. Throughout signed to ‘‘restore sanity’’ in urban reading the delegation’s findings. her 24 years of service, Justice O’Con- areas—areas which he says have be- At the same time, I want to com- nor has proven herself to be one of our come overrun with criminals. mend international leaders, including But Zimbabwe’s cities are also the Nation’s leading legal scholars, con- British Prime Minister Tony Blair, sistently putting the rule of law ahead centers of opposition political activity. Australian Prime Minister John How- Due to the worsening situation in the of politics. She has been a champion of ard, U.S. Secretary of State urban areas, including a lack of fuel the law, a champion for our rights, and , as well as over 200 and a diminishing food supply, the gov- a champion for our country. international human rights and civics Finding an appropriate successor to ernment may be moving poor people groups for publicly condemning these such a dedicated jurist is a heavy task out of the cities in an effort to increase continued atrocities and human rights indeed. control over the population. abuses. To protect the rights and liberties of Unfortunately, because of Mugabe’s As an international community, we all Americans, there is perhaps no government controls, there has been a share a collective responsibility to as- more important decision a President severe lack of verifiable information sist the people of Zimbabwe and bring makes than nominating a Justice to coming out of Zimbabwe. But daily dis- about a meaningful end to this man- the Supreme Court. I strongly urge patches are telling us of people being made tragedy. President Bush to rise above the par- forced into labor on state-run farms, But I also echo international calls for tisan politics that have gripped recent and young people being sent to youth Zimbabwe’s neighbors to step forward judicial confirmations and to reach out militia camps. Most disturbing are the and put pressure on the Mugabe gov- to both Republican and Democratic tragic reports that children are being ernment. I urge Zimbabwe’s African Senators as he selects a nominee to crushed and killed in these raids. neighbors to take effective action and succeed Justice O’Connor. Last Friday, these events led 10 intervene. In particular, I urge the Af- It is the Senate’s constitutional duty special rapporteurs on rican Union to take meaningful action. to provide advice and consent. To pro- human rights to issue a strong state- The fact is, the latest demolitions vide real advice and to grant real con- ment of concern about the ‘‘recent are part of a larger, sustained pattern sent, every single Senator must weigh mass forced evictions in Zimbabwe and of human rights violations being car- the nomination carefully and con- related human rights violations.’’ ried out by President Mugabe and his sciously. I briefly read a portion of this state- government. Senators from both sides of the aisle ment, which was issued through the Of- As the 2004 State Department Human must come together to ensure that the fice of the U.N. High Commissioner on Rights Report relates, and I will read a next member of the Supreme Court will Human Rights: brief paragraph directly: uphold the rights of the American peo- Since 18 May 2005 Zimbabwean authorities President Mugabe and his party used in- ple and base his or her decisions on the are reported to have forcibly evicted an esti- timidation and violence to maintain polit- law and the Constitution—not on polit- mated 200,000 people from Harare and 29 ical power. A systematic, government sanc- ical ideology. other locations across Zimbabwe, with some tioned campaign of violence targeting sup- reports stating that up to a million people porters and perceived supporters of the oppo- I hope President Bush will join us in may face eviction if the operation continues. sition continued during the year. Security this partnership and allow us to pro- . . . These evictions have targeted . . . infor- forces committed at least one extrajudicial vide real advice at this historic time. mal traders and families living in informal killing. Ruling party supporters, with mate- Working together, I am confident settlements, including women with HIV/ rial support from the Government, continued that we can find a suitable Justice who AIDS, widows, children with disabilities. their occupation of commercial farms, and in will follow the great precedent of San- Many evictees, including women, are re- some cases killed, abducted, tortured, in- dra Day O’Connor. ported to have been beaten up by police. The timidated, raped, or threatened farm occu- evictees have been given no prior notice, no pants. Security forces, government-sanc- f opportunity to appeal and no opportunity to tioned youth militias, and ruling party sup- DESTRUCTION IN ZIMBABWE retrieve property and goods from homes and porters tortured, raped, and otherwise shops before destruction . . . With the excep- abused persons perceived to be associated Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I call tion of a few inadequate transit camps, there with the opposition; some persons died from attention to and condemn the current is no evidence that the Government has ex- their injuries. tragic actions by the government of plored any alternatives to the evictions or I remind my colleagues that this Zimbabwe. offered adequate alternative housing and very same government is also a current At present, more than 200,000 people many evictees have been left completely member of the United Nations Com- have been made homeless as a result of homeless. mission on Human Rights—which is ‘‘Operation Restore Order’’—a 5-week- I find this situation to be alarming at yet another travesty. old government campaign to destroy the very least. These demolitions But the immediate issue facing us informal dwellings and businesses in sound a lot like political retribution today is the current government cam- Zimbabwe’s cities. Alternatively, the and forced human displacement. And paign to demolish Zimbabwe’s urban operation is also being called Oper- the deliberate destruction of the homes areas. We cannot ignore this continued ation Murambatsvina—meaning oper- is a clear violation of fundamental destruction and abuse. We simply can- ation ‘‘Drive Out Rubbish.’’ human rights. not look the other way.

VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:38 Dec 28, 2006 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORDCX\T37X$J0E\S01JY5.REC S01JY5 hmoore on PROD1PC68 with CONG-REC-ONLINE S7904 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 1, 2005 As Secretary Rice outlined in her State $750 million in direct sugar sales, ZIMBABWE confirmation hearing before the For- as well as $2 billion in industry-related Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise eign Relations Committee earlier this revenue each year. to express my shock and alarm over year, Zimbabwe remains one of the In any trade negotiation, there are the most recent turn taken in outposts of tyranny. losses and there are wins. Oftentimes Zimbabwe’s deepening political and And as Secretary Rice rightly re- we are willing to accept the impacts economic crisis. As my colleagues marked, ‘‘America stands with op- these deals might have on our domestic know, the ruling regime in Harare re- pressed people on every continent.’’ producers because in the long run the cently launched a massive campaign to At the time, she referenced Natan good outweighs the bad. But that is not destroy the homes of hundreds of thou- Sharansky and what he calls the the case. CAFTA is a relatively small sands of urban Zimbabweans, evicting ‘‘,’’ saying that the trade deal with a group of countries men, women, and children—in at least world should apply that test. To quote whose combined economies are smaller one case reportedly evicting even AIDS the Secretary directly, ‘‘if a person than that of New Haven, CT. Nearly orphans—under the auspices of ‘‘driv- cannot walk into the middle of the half of all Central Americans earn less ing out the rubbish.’’ town square and express his or her than $2 a day, and they simply cannot Many analysts believe that the Gov- views without fear of arrest, imprison- afford the meats or crops we have to ernment is attempting to forcibly relo- ment, or physical harm, then that per- sell. That is why the Louisiana Farm cate the urban population—which son is living in a fear society, not a Bureau has joined other State farm bu- tends to support the political opposi- free society. We cannot rest until every reaus, the National Association of tion—to rural areas in order to diffuse person living in a ‘‘fear society’’ is liv- State Departments of Agriculture, and resistance to its repressive policies. ing in a ‘‘free society.’’ numerous national farm groups in op- The ruling party may also be attempt- These remarks are even more rel- posing CAFTA. Even our own Govern- ing to revitalize the agricultural sec- evant in light of current events. The ment’s economic estimates say that tor, which has been devastated by its people living in Zimbabwe’s cities are CAFTA will mean little to agriculture policies, through this campaign of clearly living in a society of fear. Their or to our country as a whole; and these forced relocation to rural areas. What town squares are literally being torn are known to be quite optimistic esti- is certain is that this kind of deliberate down—the rubble crushing the people mates. That is because as the adminis- displacement of people in a country of that country. tration points out time and time where 3 to 4 million already need food I look forward to working with the again—we already dominate the import assistance is an absolute outrage. Administration, and supporting inter- market of this poor region. Sadly, this is what we have come to national efforts to provide meaningful According to estimates by the U.S. expect from President Mugabe and his assistance to the people of Zimbabwe. International Trade Commission, cronies. This same government has re- f CAFTA would actually increase our fused food assistance for hungry peo- trade deficit with Central America ple; manipulated available food assist- CENTRAL AMERICAN FREE TRADE while benefiting our economy by less ance for political purposes; systemati- AGREEMENT than one-hundredth of 1 percent. That cally attacked the independence of the Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise is worth repeating again. The adminis- judiciary; silenced independent media to speak a moment about why I am tration’s economists say that CAFTA voices; and created, often through coer- strongly opposed to the Dominican Re- will increase our trade deficit with the cion, brutally violent youth militias to public/Central American Free Trade region while boosting our own economy terrorize civilians. Agreement Implementation Bill, or by less than 0.01 percent. I commend Chairman MARTINEZ for CAFTA it is often referred to. CAFTA This same study concluded that for speaking out so forthrightly on this threatens a proud heritage and a way other farmers CAFTA would have ‘‘a issue. I am pleased to join him here of life in Louisiana that dates back negligible impact on total U.S. produc- today. I have also joined with my col- more than 250 years. Our great-great- tion and employment.’’ Why then are league, Senator DURBIN, in working to great grandfathers were raising cane we talking about dismantling my encourage U.N. Secretary General Kofi long before our country was even born. State’s sugar industry? U.S. farmers Annan to treat this crisis with the ur- Since 1751, Louisiana sugar cane farm- and ranchers get little in return for gency it deserves, and I also thank him ers have been farming the fertile soil of sending thousands to the ranks of the for his leadership. And I recently our great State. Before the marble unemployed. joined with Senator MCCAIN to assure Walls of Congress were ever erected, So what we have here is another raw Secretary of State Rice of the strong, Louisianans built an industry that deal for Louisiana sugar. I urge my col- bipartisan support that exists here for would weather hurricanes, the Great leagues to take a long, hard look at our an energized Zimbabwe policy. Depression and even the Civil War. country’s current agricultural trade But we can and must do more to op- These farmers have good reason to be agenda. This year, the USDA says pose this campaign of abuse. We must proud. American sugar producers are America will import as much food as continue to speak plainly to Southern among the most efficient in the world. we export. The agricultural trade sur- African leaders about the toll that Two-thirds of the world’s more than 100 plus that stood at $27 billion less than their silence about this ongoing crisis sugar-producing countries produce at a 10 years ago is now gone. The promises takes on their credibility, and about higher cost than the U.S. And in my made to farmers during the NAFTA de- the loss of investor and donor con- State of Louisiana, farmers produce bates have come up flat. And the prom- fidence in the region that is a con- about 20 percent of the sugar grown in ises that will be made today about sequence of Zimbabwe’s ceaseless the United States and currently rank CAFTA are contradicted by the admin- downward spiral over the past 5 years. fourth in the Nation in production of istration’s own estimates. The administration has spoken out sugar, producing an average revenue of In closing, let me say I support free commendably regarding the Zimbabwe $750 million per year. trade, so long as it is fair. Fair free crisis, but more could be done to take But today, we are prepared to deal trade requires that all players operate action that would bolster their tough this proud industry a death blow. We on as equal and level a playing field as talk. Targeted sanctions could have are talking about undoing centuries of possible, accountable to the same labor more bite, and the U.S. and other key tradition and stripping away jobs from laws, environmental standards, and donors could more clearly link support efficient Louisiana farmers. As passed, governmental intervention. To sac- for laudable initiatives such as the New this trade agreement would have a seri- rifice even one job for a trade deal that Economic Partnership for Africa’s De- ous and harmful effect on sugar pro- will deepen our agricultural trade def- velopment to restoration of respect for ducers in my State: CAFTA will equal icit is a travesty. And, having to tell civil and political rights and the rule of job loss and financial despair for 27,000 thousands of hard-working farmers in law in Zimbabwe. Louisiana sugar workers and farmers. Louisiana that they must look for Those of us who have followed the Along with additional bilateral trade work, because sugar was used as a bar- crisis in Zimbabwe often feel a sense of agreements, CAFTA could cost my gaining chip, is unacceptable. frustration as we watch so much of

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