I spoke with Mr. Gorbachev last April when I traveled to Moscow with Speaker WRIGHT and other Members of Congress. At that time. the General Secretary reiterated a point he made on French television 2 years beforethat the "security risk" label used to deny emigration to Soviet Jews was valid for 5 years and at the most 10 years. except in the most aggravating circumstances. So far. we have seen the release of some prominent refuseniksmainly to influence public opinion on the eve of the summitbut there are an estimated 400.000 Jews remaining in the Soviet Union who have expressed a desire to emigrate. The leaders of the free world dedicated to upholding basic human rights have remained very patient. The recent politcial infighting in the Soviet Union has demonstrated that the West will need to maintain a hard line on human rights issues if we hope to bring about any fundamental reform in Soviet human rights or emigration policy. Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union has risen this year. but if the rate of emigration remains constant. fewer than 10.000 Jews will emigrate from the Soviet Union in 1987. This number pales in comparison to the 1979 figures of close to 50.000. How can we establish trust with the Soviets if they continue to violate their obligations under the Helsinki accords which they signed under their own free will? How can we trust the Soviets to uphold bilateral arms agreements when they blatantly use their own emigration laws under the rubric of "state security" to punish and intimidate their people. President Reagan and Secretary of State Shultz deserve praise for their persistance in making human rights an priority agenda item in the summit and other meetings with the Soviets. We must continue to press the Soviets through all diplomatic channels if we hope to see leadership by Mr.
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emigrate emigration