Speech #1000102110

Mr. Speaker. I wish to express my deep concern for the prisoners of conscience and other persons who are seeking freedom through emigration from the Soviet Union. We must take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the glasnost policy to use what influence we can on behalf of those denied basic human rights in the Soviet Union. The history of our human rights and the Jewish emigration movement suggests that Soviet behavior can be modified whenever they have important needs of the Westespecially the United Statesand whenever they have clear evidence that our security. trade. and/or economic policies are linked to their emigration and human rights performance. These conditions existed in 1979. until they were overridden by the Afghanistan invasion. and they exist again today. We must understand what motivates the Soviets and then design incentives to encourage improvement in their human rights and emigration policies. Recognizing economic power as the driving force of international politics. Gorbachev seeks to strengthen the Soviet economy and reduce international political tensions through a strategy of increased global interdependence based on bilateral trade between the Soviet Union and Western nations. Now is an appropriate time for the United States and the Soviet Union to discuss the differences that exist between them. including the issue of human rights in general and of the rights of Soviet Jews in particular. We have two mechanisms to exert economic leverage: The JacksonVanik amendment and the Stevenson amendment. Both tie economic benefits to a Communist countrys emigration recordJacksonVanik through the use of mostfavorednation trade status and the Stevenson amendment through the extension of credit guarantees by the ExportImport Bank. The value of MFN to the Soviets probably has been increased by Soviet trade reforms and their drive to increase manufactured exports. We may use the issue of Jewish emigration to test Gorbachevs glasnost and perestroika policies because it offers a measurable standard of performance. Soviet emigration practices are now a matter of world attention. And indeed. although some progress has been made. we must not relax our attention. In the words of Ambassador Warren Zimmermann. "promises are not performance. objectives are not achievement.