Mr. President. we must do what we can to assist the Kurdish people of northern Iraq. who have suffered so much at the hands of Saddam Hussein. The situation there remains critical. hundreds of thousands of Kurds remain refugees in their own lands. According to the United Nations. it is imperative that food and medical supplies be furnished to northern Iraq before the onset of winter. Saddam Husseins current strategy is based on an economic blockade that forbids all commerce between the Iraqi Kurds and the rest of Iraq. The result is a perilous economic situation for the Kurdish people. Since Desert Storm. the United States has been very generous in providing food. medicine. and temporary shelter to Kurdish refugees through the Operation Provide Comfort. However. I am reminded of the old adage that it is better to teach a man how to fish rather than to give him a fish to eat. Much of the humanitarian effort now underway in northern Iraq and in refugee camps in Turkey is like the proverbial fish. We are feeding refugees but it would be much better if we could help the Kurdish people help themselves. Mr. President. this amendment is intended to do just that.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees