Speech #900327706

President. over these past 2 years. I have spoken constantly on the vital necessity of the Senate giving positive advise and consent to ratification of the various human rights conventions. Hearings have been held and the Senate has ratified only the Supplemental Slavery Convention and the Protocol on the Status of Refugees. These two treaties have been ratified by the Senate after it was made clear they posed no threat to the sovereignty of the United States and the continued application of Federal and State law. I call particular attention to the recently ratified Protocol on the Status of Refugees. This instrument contains appeal to the International Court of Justice for those seeking the protocols protection. This appeal from national jurisdiction is not a policy departure. as previous treaties also contain appeals to international adjudication. However. the extension of such appeal to the field of human rights is indeed a breakthrough that hopefully will ease acceptance of the other human rights treaties by the Senate. It would seem that if ever the lunacy literatti had a case. it was in opposition to just such an appeal contained in the provisions of the Protocol on Refugees. However. neither they nor those hairsplitters of international law possessed of some repute spoke out against either the principle of such a treaty and appeal nor the specific protections it contains. It is my fervent hope that in light of the recent events in NigeriaBiafra and Czechoslovakia. these critics now see how much is to be gained by a reaffirmation of U.S. leadership in human rights.