Speech #990207825

I was honored to have had the opportunity to meet him last week and to join today in paying this tribute to him and his courageous people. On May 1. 1986. the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs held a hearing on the situation in Afghanistan. during which the subcommittee heard afresh reports of continuing Soviet brutality and atrocities in that country. Yet despite these enormous adversities. the presence of some 120.000 Soviet troops and the more advanced technology of the Soviet and Communist Afghan forces. the administration told the subcommittee that there is "every prospect that the Afghan resistance will continue to become more potent militarily and better able to wage political war against the Soviets. both inside Afghanistan and in the international arena." Against the backdrop of continuing military engagements inside Afghanistan. the United States continues to back strongly the U.N. negotiating process and to support a negotiated settlement based on the withdrawal of Soviet forces. selfdetermination for the people of Afghanistan. the safe return of Afghan refugees to their homeland. and nonaligned status for Afghanistan. International opposition to. and protest against. the continuing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan reached record levels last fall when the U.N. General Assembly voted by the largest margin ever122 to 19to demand the withdrawal of Soviet troops from that country.