Speech #990159368

President. with the brightening of prospects for positive developments at the Geneva arms talks. it is essential that we not lose sight of another important obstacle to better United StatesSoviet relationsthe plight of Soviet Jewry. The release of Anatoly Shcharansky from the Soviet Union is a positive development. However. the Soviets have a very long way to go if they wish us to believe that they are reversing their inflexible position on Jewish emigration. Freedom of emigration is a basic human right guaranteed by a number of internationally accepted documents such as the Helsinki Final Act. Clearly. the Soviets are not living up to these agreements. The case of Gennady and Natasha Khassin of Moscow is an example of Soviet intransigence. The Khassins first applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union in August of 1976. Their visa requests have been refused repeatedly since then. In addition. the Khassins have been relentlessly harassed by Soviet authorities for their work on behalf of Jewish prisoners of conscience. Gennady and Natasha Khassin are like so many thousands of refuseniks trapped by a system that persecutes them and attacks their religious and cultural heritage. yet denies them the opportunity to emigrate and be reunited with their families. As Americans. we must continue to speak out on the plight of Soviet Jewry. We must make it clearly understood by the Soviets that improvement in emigration policy for Soviet Jews is a vital precondition for the establishment of better United StatesSoviet ties. The plight of Soviet Jewry simply cannot be ignored.