President. I wish to speak of a situation in the Middle East today. and that is the human tragedy of terrible proportions that is occurring in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds and Shiites and other refugees are fleeing Saddam Husseins tyranny. They are seeking sanctuary in Turkey. in Iran. and some in occupied Iraq. There are reports that thousands of men and women and children are being injured and many perishing in the icy mountain passes leading into Turkey or in the squalid and overcrowded refugee camps in Turkey and Iran. I praise President Bushs decision to send emergency food and other aid to these refugees. including the air drops from our U.S. military aircraft. But we all know that these air drops can sustain only a handful of the masses that are streaming out of Iraq. The United Nations and individual countries like Britain and France are also responding to the genocidal savagery that Hussein is using against his very own people. But as so often in the case of these all too familiar tragedies--like the countries of Africa and Asia are prone tounfortunately too little comes too late for thousands of these suffering refugees. My information Is that the Emergency Refugee and Migration Account at the State Department now has less than $40 million. In fact. much of that Is already committed to meet urgent needs of thousands of starving refugees in the horn of Africa and Southeast Asia. and subSahara Africa. Funds that might be available to help the Kurds and tbh "hiites and others who are fleeing murder. torture. brutality. and starvation in Iraq are just not adequate. We know that. But yet the United States has to provide largescale immediate and effectvd help for these suffering people. I urge President Bush to submit an emergency supplemental request for these refugees now. As chairman of the Foreign Operation Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Emergency Refugee and Migration Account. I pledge my cooperation to help move an emergency supplemental for the Iraqi refugees to the Presidents desk without delay. We know that the Kurds and the Shiites claim the rebellion against Hussein was at the urging of the Bush administration. President Bush said he never gave these oppressed people any reason to believe that the United States would intervene on their behalf.
Identified stereotypes
Implies that countries in Africa and Asia are prone to tragedies.