Speech #990076684

I take issue with the Presidents notification to the Congress on June 4. 1985. of his intention to grant MFN status to Romania for another year. Under provisions of the Trade Act of 1974. MFN status for a Communist country is closely linked to that nations emigration policies. Romanias policies in years past have been costly and obstructionist. Even now. family reunification remains difficult. The situation for Jews seeking to emigrate is particularly disturbing. Only 543 Jews were allowed to emigrate to Israel during the first half of 1985. half as many as allowed during the same period last year. Before Romania received MFN status. an average of 4.000 Jews a year were allowed to emigrate. Obviously. the emigration situation is not improving. Although Romania is a signatory of the Helsinki human rights accords. it has an appalling record of human rights violations in other areas as well. I am very concerned about religious persecution by the Ceausescu regime. According to reliable sources. those practicing their religious beliefs are continuously harassed. Churches are destroyed. internal visas are denied to clergy. and no building permits for new churches are being granted. It has also been reported that legal shipments of Bibles have been recycled into toilet paper. These are outrageous actions by a regitne that has pledged to uphold the freedom of religion for its citizens. Restriction of emigration and religious persecution are not the only human rights violations. The repressive treatment of the Hungarian minority continues unabated. The time has come to end MFN status for this nation that flagrantly violates the very terms under which such status is supposed to be granted.