Speech #1020036709

The Baath make up only 20 percent of Iraqs population and thus 80 percent of the Iraqi people would continue to be denied a choice in their leadership. Our goal. even after Saddam Hussein leaves power. must be democracy in Iraq and respect for human rights. The United States and the international community must also remain mindful of the 900.000 Kurdish refugees and the 100.000 Shia refugees who remain along the IranianIraqi border. There are also another 25.000 refugees now in Saudi Arabia. We must not neglect these individuals. Instead we must work to establish conditions within Iraq to enable their return. too. The crisis cannot be considered ended. when over 1 million Iraqi refugees remain. As the refugee crisis continues in Iran. there are reports that deaths in the refugee camps continue to number between 140 to 450 a day. While international relief efforts have succeeded in dramatically reducing the large death toll along the TurkishIraqi border. no similar success has occurred in Iran. The Iranian Government bears a heavy responsibility for impeding relief efforts to the Iraqi refugees in its care. Despite its pleas for international assistance. the Iranian Government has blocked humanitarian organizations from access to the camps. slowed assistance by insisting on lengthy bureaucratic processes. intimidated relief workers and politicized our own shipment of blankets. It denied a visa request from a delegation of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs to visit the refugee camps. put several Americare relief workers under house arrest for 5 days. interrogated one American member of the private U.S. Committee for Refugees overnight. and harassed the American volunteers in the region to the point where they were forced to abandon their critical work. Ironically. Kurdish and Shia refugees continue to perish because of these obstacles to relief. Nevertheless. the U.S.-led relief operation to assist the Iraqi refugees is one of the most extraordinary achievements in recent times. Let us take this step today to commend the dedicated men and women serving on our Armed Forces who made it possible. They deserve our wholehearted praise and support. and I urge my colleagues to join me in this tribute to them.