Speech #990110294

As an American of Greek ancestry. I was also quite Interested In learning about the plight of Greek Orthodox individuals in the Soviet Union when I visited there. and I was very dismayed with the information I received. Some 25.000 to the 500.000 Greeks in the Soviet Union are seeking to emigrate to Greece and elsewhere but virtually none are currently receiving exit permission. Those knowledgeable with the Issue attribute the decline in Greek emigrationfrom 100 persons a month a few years ago to the present level of 1 or 2 families a monthto the population goals of the Soviet Union. Maintaining Greeks and other socalled white nationals in Central Asia as a balance to the rising AsianIslam. ic population requires that those seeking to leave are denied permission to be reunited with their families and to return to their homeland. I know that the plight of these Soviet citizens reflects the status of human rights in Eastern Europe as well.