Chairman. I rise to opposition to the adoption of the Wolf amendment which would suspend MFN to Romania for 6 months. MFN remains the strongest possible lever which we in the United States have to encourage the Government of Romania to permit its people to emigrate and to improve human rights conditions in that country. Passage of this amendment. far from transforming Romanian human rights policies and creating a political paradise in that country. will actually add to the suffering of the people of that country whom we have been trying to help. It may even close their one remaining escape hatch. Since the provision of mostfavorednation trading status to Romania. over 170.000 Romanian citizens have been permitted to leave that country. While 1986 emigration figures to the United States had fallen a disappointing 30 percent from 1985. strong American interventions on behalf of a number of outstanding cases led Romania so far this year to permit over 838 persons to leave for the United States. The loss of MFN status could close this one important door to freedom for thousands of Romanians and also put increased pressure on the already reduced standard of living of the Romanian people as it loses export markets in the United States. While Romania has many serious human rights problems. let us not forget that it was a country where Hitler decimated the Jewish people. yet Romania today is the only Eastern European state where the Jewish community may freely practice their religion.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration