Speech #1010080421

I bers of this Congress the opportunity wish to address a matter related to the towork with the administration and State Department portion of this bill" address the areas of concern we are and to support a point made by Sena- now faced with. tor HATCH. Why didnt the administration As the world advocate for human notify us about these proposals rights. we have a duty to assure our- sooner?. Why havent these very pivotselves that any changes in our refugee al issues been addressed months ago? policies must only come after intense On September 14. an official from scrutiny and careful deliberation. We the U.S. General Accounting Office must not compromise our traditional testified that the voluntary agencies role of setting high standards Of that help Soviets prepare their refuhuman rights- gee applications. including a written Tragically. scrutiny and deliberation statement of their reasons to emiare lacking in the administrations ref- grate. are not being allowed to operate ugee policy forfiscal year 1990. in the Soviet Union. The GAO recogNotice of the October 1 implementa- nizes the crucial role these agencies tion date was served to the Senate on play. yet on October 1. none of these the very late date of September 15. a agencies will be operating in Moscow mere 15 days prior to the implementa- and we have no indications that they tion date. This samenotice was served ever will be able to operate there. on the people of the Soviet Union Just To ignore the manner in which the this Tuesday. a mere 5 days before the: administration plans to implement effective date. It takes 6 days Just to these dramatic proposals is to jeopardobtain a visa. And who can attest to ize the destinies of thousands of the effectiveness of this notice.There people for whom this country has are too. many unanswered questions. fought too hard and for too long. there are too many. unknowns in our I aniwell. aware that an agreement administrations programs. has been reached between the adminFirst. how will the operation of the istration and. the advocacy groups. refugee processing on Soviet soil affect But. there are thousands of othersthe. ability. .of- applicants to freely now in the Soviet.Unionwho are not apply? This. policy-.forces emigres to - parties to this agreement. Who speaks not only prove their life long persecu- for them? tion but do so in the very. country that With these proposals. "let my people oppresses them. . go". is a moot concept.