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EXTENSIONS of REMARKS, Vol November 22, 2011 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 157, Pt. 13 18165 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN CON- viding an enhanced market for our products Carson said in his testimony that the relation- GRESS AND THE AFRICAN DIP- and allowing African countries a larger tax ship worsened with the extra-legal seizures of LOMATIC CORPS base that will lessen the need for foreign aid. white-owned land in the 1990s. Mugabe and More robust African economies are beneficial his supporters blame America for not sup- HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH to the entire global economy. porting its liberation struggle, while the United OF NEW JERSEY We also have to work more effectively to States has criticized Mugabe’s government IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES help African nations produce more energy for consistently for human rights abuses, espe- themselves and developed world consumers cially against its political opponents. With U.S. Tuesday, November 22, 2011 such as the United States. As Ambassador Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray en- Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, last Mitifu pointed out in her opening statement, couraging U.S. businesses to invest in week, several Congressional colleagues and I current trends indicate that less than half of Zimbabwe last month, it would seem that U.S. convened the first House-Senate Conversation Africa’s population will have access to elec- policy is in the midst of a transformation. between Congress and the African Diplomatic tricity by 2050. She and her colleagues called Following independence from Great Britain Corps on African issues. This historic event on our government to support such projects as in 1980, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe’s pol- was opened by me, House Subcommittee on the Grand Inga Dam project in the Democratic icy of political reconciliation was generally suc- Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Rank- Republic of the Congo, which would contribute cessful during the next two years, as the ing Member DONALD PAYNE, Senate Africa 39,000 megawatts for a continent-wide elec- former political and military competitors within Subcommittee Chairman CHRISTOPHER COONS tricity grid. ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patri- and Senate Africa Subcommittee Ranking A major theme among the comments and otic Front and the rival Patriotic Front- Member JOHNNY ISAKSON. We were joined questions by the diplomats who participated in Zimbabwe African Peoples Union began to during the event by Representative KAREN this event was concern about security and a work together. Splits soon developed, how- BASS and Representative BOBBY RUSH. desire to partner with the United States in ever, and PF–ZAPU’s leader, Joshua Nkomo, Democratic Republic of the Congo Ambas- combating terrorism, trafficking in persons, the was removed from government. sador Faida Mitifu presented a comprehensive international drug trade, piracy and other When PF–ZAPU was accused of initiating a overview of the African diplomatic corps on criminal activity that affects the continent. rebellion due to the removal of Nkomo from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, As we all know, the United States faces a the cabinet, government military forces began AGOA, and trade, agriculture and food secu- reduced ability to fund programs at previous a pacification campaign primarily in his base in rity and energy and infrastructure. She also levels. Consequently, we are working to en- the Matabeleland area, which resulted in as joined us in presiding over this session. sure that the funds we do have are used as many as 20,000 civilian deaths. Too often, we in Congress have only brief efficiently and effectively as possible. In order In part through its control of the media, the encounters with the African diplomats in to maximize these goals, we must have a bet- huge parastatal sector of the economy and the Washington, and a fuller, ongoing interaction ter idea of the actual needs of African soci- security forces, the Mugabe government man- would be of help to both Members of Con- eties. In everything we do together, there must aged to keep organized political opposition to gress and diplomats in building U.S.-Africa re- be collaboration and the goal of mutual ben- a minimum through most of the 1990s. Begin- lations that are mutually beneficial. efit. A win-win situation is sustainable, but pro- ning in 1999, however, Zimbabwe experienced In our Subcommittee hearings, we conduct grams aimed at only one beneficiary are not. a period of considerable political and eco- oversight on issues of concern involving U.S. Deciding for Africans what their needs may nomic upheaval. Opposition to President policy—often regarding individual countries. be is not an appropriate strategy. We need Af- Mugabe and the ZANU–PF government had For troubled countries such as Sudan, Soma- rican governments to be stakeholders in what- grown, in part due to the worsening economic lia, Cote d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe, such U.S. ever programs we fund, and that will not be governance issues. At one point, one U.S. dol- policy oversight is critical. However, the issues likely if they are not consulted in advance. lar was worth more than 2.6 billion Zimbabwe we are covering today require interactions that Better program targeting requires partnership, dollars. Following the seizure of white-owned are more detailed and more sustained. Trade, and we hope this session is part of the cre- commercial farms beginning in the 1990s, agriculture and energy are important matters ation of an enhanced partnership between us. food output capacity fell 45 percent, manufac- that call for the kind of discussions that go be- f turing output dropped by 29 percent and un- yond an office visit or even today’s dialogue. employment rose to 80 percent. It is the hope of our members and the diplo- U.S. POLICY TOWARD ZIMBABWE The opposition was led by the Movement for matic corps that we can use this initial event Democratic Change (MDC), which was estab- as the beginning of ongoing discussions on HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH lished in September 1999. The MDC led the how to make AGOA more broadly beneficial OF NEW JERSEY campaign to handily defeat a referendum that for the nearly 6,400 covered items, for exam- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES would have permitted President Mugabe to ple. We need to better understand how to seek two additional terms in office. Parliamen- overcome the obstacles to successful U.S.-Af- Tuesday, November 22, 2011 tary elections held in June 2000 were marred rica agricultural trade. One comment was re- Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on by localized violence and claims of electoral peated by several diplomats: further delay in November 2, our Subcommittee held a hear- irregularities and government intimidation of passing legislation to extend AGOA’s third- ing to examine the current U.S. government opposition supporters. Still, the MDC suc- party fabric provision will send damaging policy toward the Republic of Zimbabwe and ceeded in capturing 57 of 120 seats in the Na- mixed signals to investors. to consider how our policy toward this south- tional Assembly. Africa’s population of approximately 1 billion ern African nation may develop in the years The last four national elections—the presi- people has a growing consumer base that is ahead. Zimbabwe is considering a new con- dential election in 2002, parliamentary elec- capable of being a larger player in global stitution that will lead to the elections in 2012 tions in 2005, harmonized presidential and trade. One out of every three Africans is now that had been postponed from this year. parliamentary elections in March 2008, and considered to be in the middle class. This ris- There has been mutual hostility between the the presidential run-off in June 2008—were ing middle class will enable both economic United States government and the Zimbabwe judged to be not free and fair by observers. In and political development in Africa. For the government of Robert Mugabe since that the March 2008 elections, two factions of the United States and other developed nations, country became independent in 1980, al- opposition MDC, known as MDC–T to denote these developments benefit us as well by pro- though Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Morgan Tsvangirai’s faction and MDC–M for ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 11:41 Dec 02, 2015 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR11\E22NO1.000 E22NO1 jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 18166 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 157, Pt. 13 November 22, 2011 the group led by Arthur Mutambara, gained a from the Civil Air Patrol risked their lives to ing and ranking of countries based on compli- combined parliamentary majority. Mugabe was safeguard our shores and deter the enemy’s ance with the establishment of common-sense declared the winner of the June 2008 run-off efforts. These ‘‘sub chasers’’ spotted 143 Ger- minimum standards—clearly articulated pre- election after opposing candidate Tsvangirai man submarines, attacking 57 and sinking 2. vention, protection, and prosecution bench- withdrew due to ZANU–PF-directed violence This volunteer force was so successful that marks—enforced by sanctions and penalties that made a free and fair election impossible. after the war President Harry Truman signed against egregious violators. Mark Schneider, Senior Vice President for the a law making the Civil Air Patrol a benevolent, Fortunately, reality won out over ignorance. International Crisis Group, told the Sub- non-profit organization.
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