I wrote to His Excellency Anatoly F. Dobrynin. Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. requesting a meeting to discuss the dual right to emigrate. and in particular. the problem of Soviet Jewry. I had also hoped to present to the Ambassador. petitions containing about 10.000 signatures from residents of the 39th District of New York in behalf of Jewish citizens of Russia. I am very pleased that tomorrow morning. I and a small delegation from the 39th District will meet with Alexander Eustaflev. counselor of the Russian Embassy. to discuss the dual right to emigrate. I will not deliver the petitions at that time. but will see that they are brought to the attention of the United Nations. However. as far as I know. this is the first instance where Russians officials in the United States have expressed an interest in discussing the dual right to emigrate. Those accompanying me will be students who participated in the gathering of petitions in Erie County as follows: Michele Lombard. 16. of Sweet Home Central High School representing the Machon Chapter of Bnai Brith girls. Patricia Michel. 16. of Amherst Central High School. representing the Protestant youth groups. and Brian Schaefer. 16. of Bishop Turner High School. representing the Catholic youth groups. The adults also joining in the meeting will be Alan N. Gendler. assistant director of the United Jewish Federation of Buffalo and Rabbi Robert Bronstein. assistant of Temple Shaarey Zedek of Buffalo and chairman of the federations council on Soviet Jewry. Tomorrow I will introduce a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress with respect to placing before the United Nations General Assembly the issue of the dual right of all persons to emigrate from and also return to ones country. I also have a special order of 1 hour tomorrow to discuss this issue and I invite all my colleagues to join with me in this discussion. I am also pleased to report that I already have over 20 cosponsors and suggest that other Members interested in joining me on this resolution call my office by noon. October 14. Mr. Speaker. one of the most important among the human rights that define a free society is the dual right to emigrate from and also return to ones country. It is a right that all of usexcept those under some kinds of due legal processas Americans enjoy. even though it is not featured in bills and declarations. It is significant to note that the right to leave and to return is not one of recent origin.
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emigrate