Sam Gejdenson: “Mr. Speaker, I join with my chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), in support of this resolution. It was…”

“Mr. Speaker, I join with my chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), in support of this resolution. It was interesting that in less than half an hour on this floor we had over one-quarter of the Members join us as cosponsors of this legislation. If we had spent any time, we would have had virtually every Member joining us. This resolution may not even be directed at Mr. Lukashenka, because it is clear he is not listening. He is not listening to his own citizens who have experienced some of the worst economic hardship in the former Soviet Union. He is not listening to the international community. His country today is among the most isolated of the former Soviet countries. While many are moving towards democratic institutions and a better standard of living for their citizens, Belarus sadly continues to see both its democratic institutions and its economy deteriorate. The people of Belarus deserve better. They have suffered so much through World War II in history, as the armies of Germany and Russia pushed back and forth, and you need only go to the capital city of Minsk to see that virtually no buildings remain from the pre-war era. So hopefully, those in the government in Belarus who recognize that what Mr. Lukashenka is doing to their country is wrong, is damaging, will join with the opposition, join to bring about change to work out a new democratic agreement to develop a civil society there.”