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SHATTUCK 4/1 REMARKS TO HOUSE FOREI
- Subject: SHATTUCK 4/1 REMARKS TO HOUSE FOREI
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 15:05:00
The following document that reflects the U.S. Policy toward Burma surely is
>full of facts and policy regarding the U.S. Policy
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Julien Moe
>----------------
>
>TEXT: SHATTUCK 4/1 REMARKS TO HOUSE FOREIGN OPERATIONS PANEL
>(Promotion of human rights key to U.S. foreign policy)
>
>Washington -- The promotion of human rights and democracy is one of the
>fundamental goals of U.S. foreign policy, according to John Shattuck,
>assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor.
>
>The promotion of human rights and democracy is "a goal that reinforces
>the objectives of preserving America's security and fostering U.S.
>prosperity. As Secretary Albright has noted, the United States has a
>vital strategic interest in strengthening the international system by
>bringing nations together around the basic principles of democracy, open
>markets, and the rule of law," Shattuck said in April 1 remarks before
>the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations.
>
>"The past decade has been a tumultuous one for human rights and
>democracy," Shattuck noted. "From the collapse of the Berlin Wall to the
>fall of the Soviet Union, from the successful campaign for democracy in
>Chile to the transition to multiracial democracy in South Africa, it has
>produced events of wonder. Yet these successes must not blind us to the
>reality that the world today faces fundamental challenges to the
>protection of human rights~ From Bosnia to Rwanda, from Kosovo to
>Algeria, the haunting images of cruelty and violence remind us that the
>denial of basic human rights continues to threaten international peace
>and stability."
>
>Shattuck outlined four basic categories of nation states: one, those
>countries that participate as full members of the international system;
>two, those that reject the rules upon which the system is based; three,
>those that are in transition from authoritarian rule and seek full
>participation; and four, those "that are unable -- whether because of
>under-development, catastrophe or conflict -- to enjoy the benefits and
>meet the responsibilities that full membership entails."
>
>"Most of our efforts to promote human rights and democracy focus on
>those countries most likely to make the transition to full partnership
>in the international system~," he said. "But we also are working to
>assist those who seek to promote democratic progress and human rights in
>authoritarian countries. In these cases, our focus is on supporting NGOs
>that seek to facilitate a peaceful transition to democracy and legal
>institutions that may one day create a foundation for the rule of law."
>
>Cuba, Burma, and China are three countries in which the United States is
>working with NGOs committed to improving civil and human rights,
>according to Shattuck.
>
>Shattuck stressed that facilitating the growth of democratic government,
>civil society, and the rule of law is the best way to assure that
>countries in transition become "full members of the international system
>prepared to respect and uphold basic human rights."
>
>"History demonstrates that free and democratic nations are better
>partners both in terms of maintaining peace and conducting commerce.
>Democracies that protect human rights and respect the rule of law are
>more likely to avoid internal conflict, protect the environment, embrace
>market economics, and provide a fair and level playing field for
>American companies. That is why it is in our national interest to
>support those who struggle for democracy abroad. We could not assure our
>own security and prosperity without it," he said.
>
>Following is the text of Shattuck's remarks, as prepared for delivery:
>
>(begin text)
>
>TESTIMONY OF THE HONORABLE JOHN SHATTUCK
>ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR
>BEFORE THE FOREIGN OPERATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
>COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
>U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
>APRIL 1, 1998
>
>
>
>Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I would like to thank you for
>the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the work being
>done by the State Department, and specifically by the Bureau of
>Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in promoting freedom around the
>world.
>
>Four weeks ago, Secretary of State Albright came here to seek your
>support for the President's FY 1999 international affairs budget. My
>role here today is to expand upon one aspect of the Secretary's remarks
>by highlighting the Administration's work to promote democracy and human
>rights around the world, particularly through our foreign assistance
>programs.
>
>Mr. Chairman, the promotion of human rights and democracy is one of the
>fundamental goals of our foreign policy, a goal that reinforces the
>objectives of preserving America's security and fostering our
>prosperity. As Secretary Albright has noted, the United States has a
>vital strategic interest in strengthening the international system by
>bringing nations together around the basic principles of democracy, open
>markets, and the rule of law.
>
>The past decade has been a tumultuous one for human rights and
>democracy. From the collapse of the Berlin Wall to the fall of the
>Soviet Union, from the successful campaign for democracy in Chile to the
>transition to multiracial democracy in South Africa, it has produced
>events of wonder. Yet these successes must not blind us to the reality
>that the world today faces fundamental challenges to the protection of
>human rights~ From Bosnia to Rwanda, from Kosovo to Algeria, the
>haunting images of cruelty and violence remind us that the denial of
>basic human rights continues to threaten international peace and
>stability.
>
>Mr. Chairman, in determining how we respond to these challenges, we must
>acknowledge the changes that have taken place in the international
>system since the end of the Cold War. The old conceptual framework of
>three "Worlds" -- West, East and South -- no longer works. Instead, as
>Secretary Albright has stated, it is now possible to identify four
>categories of nation states. The first is made up of those countries
>that participate as full members of the international system. The second
>consists of those that reject the rules upon which the system is based.
>The third contains those that are in transition from authoritarian rule
>and seek full participation. The fourth includes those that are unable
>-- whether because of under-development, catastrophe or conflict -- to
>enjoy the benefits and meet the responsibilities that full membership
>entails.
>
>In the first category are th~e world's democracies, our partners and
>friends. In the second category are the world's pariah states, the focus
>of sanctions and other negative measures designed to limit their ability
>to disrupt the international system. In categories three and four are
>countries in transition that could become either partners or pariahs.
>Their future path will determine whether Americans will live in a world
>that is peaceful, prosperous and free. As such, they are the focus of
>our assistance efforts.
>
>The best way to assure that these countries become full members of the
>international system prepared to respect and uphold basic human rights
>is to facilitate the growth of democratic government, civil society, and
>the rule of law. History demonstrates that free and democratic nations
>are better partners both in terms of maintaining peace and conducting
>commerce. Democracies that protect human rights and respect the rule of
>law are more likely to avoid internal conflict, protect the environment,
>embrace market economics, and provide a fair and level playing field for
>American companies. That is why it is in our national interest to
>support those who struggle for democracy abroad. We could not assure our
>own security and prosperity without it.
>
>In the recent past, Mr. Chairman~ the Executive Branch has not
>programmed funding designed exclusively to protect human rights and
>promote democracy. When the United States had to respond to human rights
>and democratization crises around the world, this shortcoming often
>resulted in an urgent, ad-hoc reprogramming of funds. The Secretary of
>State should have the capacity to respond flexibly to assist countries
>emerging from underdevelopment, catastrophe, or conflict, and should
>supply support to those countries in transition from authoritarian rule
>to democracy.
>
>To that end, the Administration has designed a series of mechanisms that
>combine policy formulation with innovative funding programs~ that assist
>the development of democracies and expedite their transition to full
>membership in the international system. I will devote the balance of my
>testimony to examining the policy and program components of our work,
>and then provide you with specific examples of how these new initiatives
>have allowed us to respond rapidly and creatively to a variety of human
>rights and democratization concerns and crises.
>
>Policy Coordination
>
>Within the Department of State, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
>and Labor takes the lead in formulating and coordinating U.S. policy on
>democracy and human rights promotion. Our tools include the Human Rights
>and Democracy Core Group, the G-8 Democracy Initiative, and the Advisory
>Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad.
>
>Established in 1996, the Human Rights and Democracy Core Group is a
>small, high-level, inter-agency council that meets to develop guidance
>for the Secretary on human rights and democracy-building policy and
>programs in crisis countries, particularly those emerging from conflict.
>As Co-Chair of the Core Group, my bureau sets the agenda, but other
>members may bring issues to the table and set out options to focus Core
>Group deliberations. The Core Group includes representatives of foreign
>affairs government agencies and State Department bureaus with global
>mandates. Relevant State Department regional bureaus are included as
>Co-Chairs for particular countries.
>
>The Human Rights and Democracy Core Group analyzes developing situations
>and proposes programs that are short-term and high-impact. Thus, its
>approach complements USAID's sustainable development programs, which
>operate over the medium- and long-term. Among the issues on which the
>group has deliberated over the past year are post-election U.S~. policy
>and assistance in Albania; U.S. policy and programs in Cambodia; support
>for democracy and human rights institutions in Bosnia; support for new
>justice and reconciliation initiatives in the Great Lakes region of
>Africa; and transition assistance to non-governmental organizations
>(NGOs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, and Nigeria. I
>will discuss some of the specific programs initiated or overseen by the
>Core Group later in my testimony.
>
>While the Core Group coordinates policy among different actors and
>agencies within the U.S. government, the Denver Summit Democracy
>Initiative seeks to coordinate democracy- and human rights-promotion
>assistance among the Group of Eight. Last fall, I chaired an experts
>meeting in Washington that developed information on how each of the G-8
>governments promotes democracy, both bilaterally and multilaterally. The
>meeting identified areas of common interest in our individual and
>collective efforts, and made recommendations on how G-8 governments
>could better coordinate their efforts. Four areas of emphasis were
>targeted: assistance for civil society development; support for women's
>political participation; business and labor support for human rights and
>democracy; and promotion of good governance and the rule of law. I am
>submitting for the record the G-8 report~, a summary of which will be
>incorporated into the Birmingham Summi~t.
>
>In addition to these recommendations, the experts group also made plans
>to hold an unprecedented multilateral workshop~-style conference on
>democracy and governance assistance in Africa that will be co-sponsored
>by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Global
>Coalition for Africa. Scheduled to take place next month in Bamako,
>Mali, the workshop will be patterned on the "partnership" theme of
>President Clinton's Africa trip, and will bring together donor and
>recipient partnership governments, NGOs, and multilateral donor
>organizations to discuss the development of a new model of partnership
>for democratic development. The conference, which will he chaired by
>Mali's President Konare, is being organized in cooperation with the
>Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic
>Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Economic Commission for Africa,
>and the United Nations Development Program. Participating "pilot"
>countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, and
>Uganda.
>
>The results of the workshop are potentially far-reaching. At stake is
>whether donor and recipient countries can reach broad agreement on the
>process as well as the substance of democracy and governance assistance.
>In addition, the workshop will offer NGOs in developing democracies an
>unprecedented opportunity to influence development policy and inform
>decisions at international fora such as the upcoming Birmingham G-8
>Summit and the OECD.
>
>The present challenge for the U~.S. is to ensure that the G-8 sustains
>the momentum of the Washington experts meeting and the Bamako workshop.
>Specifically, it is important that we further develop our initial
>agreements and then devise an action plan to implement them. To that
>end, we are working toward committing the G-8 at the upcoming Birmingham
>Summit to act on the recommendations made by the experts in Washington
>and the participants in Bamako.
>
>In addition to these broader policy initiatives, the Administration also
>has undertaken new measures designed to integrate specific human rights
>and democratization concerns into our foreign policy. For example, the
>Administration has publicly affirmed its commitment to advance religious
>freedom abroad. It is a subject of our bilateral and multilateral policy
>and dialogues~. Secretary Albright has instructed our embassies around
>the world to pay special attention to religious persecution. Last year,
>the State Department prepared an unprecedented report in response to a
>request by your committee that focused exclusively on global religious
>persecution. It was entitled, "~U.S. Policies in Support of Religious
>Freedom: Focus on Christians."
>
>In December 1996, the Secretary of State established the Advisory
>Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, a distinguished panel of twenty
>religious leaders who represent millions of Americans of all major
>faiths and denominations, and scholars who have dedicated their
>professional lives to the study of religious liberty and other human
>rights. The Committee, which I chair and for which my staff provides the
>support, is responsible for advising the Secretary of State and the
>President on the ways and means of integrating the protection and
>promotion of religious freedom abroad into our foreign policy. In its
>first fourteen months, the Committee has heard the testimony of experts,
>government officials and victims of religious persecution. Committee
>members have discussed concerns, presented diverse viewpoints, and
>learned much from one another~.
>
>In January, the Committee released its interim Report and
>Recommendations, a copy of which I am submitting for the record. This
>report is of great significance. It supports the expansion of our work
>as a government in promoting and defending religious freedom and
>provides specific recommendations for additional government action. It
>represents the consensus of a wide array of religious groups from
>American society on how best to promote religious freedom. As we go
>forward in formulating strategies to address the many foreign policy and
>human rights challenges involving religious freedom, the Committee's
>report and its forthcoming work will assist us in understanding the
>religious dimension of these problems and in engaging religious
>communities and leaders to address them.
>
>The Committee's report made a wide variety of practical recommendations
>on U.S. policy. Among these is the recommendation to establish a senior
>position in the Department of State to coordinate, integrate and
>implement policies that advance religious freedom internationally. I am
>pleased to say that Secretary Albright has requested the immediate
>implementation of this recommendation. We anticipate being able to
>announce her choice in the very near future. In the meantime, the
>Committee is continuing its work, with the assistance of my staff with
>the purpose of offering more detailed recommendations at the end of the
>year. Their focus this year is on integration of religious freedom
>concerns into U.S. assistance and training programs; the use of specific
>foreign policy tools to promote religious freedom; refugee and asylum
>procedures; and dialogue with religious NGOs, businesses and other
>communities.
>
>In addition to these policy coordination mechanisms, the Department of
>State intends to work within the U.S. Government and with NGOs to help
>better coordinate U.S. policies that guide a wide range of rule of law
>programs in democratizing countries. Such programs include training
>judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and defense attorneys;
>developing law school curricula; providing technical assistance to
>efforts to revise commercial laws and combat corruption; and helping
>NGOs and the media make better use of the legal system to protect and
>promote human rights. These measures have a direct impact on a wide
>variety of U.S. foreign policy interests. For example, programs that
>promote greater transparency in government decision-making can help
>forestall regional economic crises. Rule of law programs are a major
>component of almost every one of our democracy-building efforts. A range
>of U.S. agencies and State Department bureaus, as well as a number of
>NGOs, play an active role in developing and implementing these programs.
>Coordinating these efforts is a priority for Secretary Albright. Closer
>inter-agency coordination on rule of law programs would more closely tie
>together our diplomacy to our use of foreign~ assistance in promoting
>democracy around the world.
>
To be continued: