hearing transcript (pdf - 690 kb) - House Foreign Affairs Committee ...

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lation, as I can assure you that none of us will weaken any aspect
of it but please speak to Russia and Laos.
Mr. HANFORD. Well, Mr. Smith, you and I go way back in working
on Russia. In 1993, out of Senator Lugar’s office we led a bicameral
effort to stop a bad law. And Yeltsin courageously vetoed
that law twice. In 1997 we did the same thing again. We presented
him with a similar letter with just loads of Senators and Congressmen
on it together, 160, 170. He vetoed it once. He didn’t veto it
the second time around.
So now we are stuck with the consequences. Yes, we are very
concerned and have pressed on this issue of the seven as it turns
out Catholic clergy, including a bishop, as well as a number of
Protestants who have recently been denied.
The troubling thing here is that while a number of the problems
that have occurred since the passage of the law in 1997 could be
blamed on local officials, how do you excuse custom agents and call
them local officials? They aren’t. We are trying to get the message
across to the central government this is serious, and it points the
finger at them.
Now, President Putin, to his credit, is aware of this concern and
has been sending very good signals over the last couple of years
that he is trying to resolve the problems. And denominations are
getting liquidated that shouldn’t. He is trying to stop bad laws in
states, provinces, so we are encouraged by that.
In Laos, I want to give credit to my predecessor, Bob Seiple. He
put a lot of effort and prayer into Laos. He was responsible for the
bringing over of a group of government leaders just about 2 months
ago. I met with them at length. I think these men and women were
moved by what they saw in the way of religious freedom here, and
the intentions of our government in realizing that we just care because
this is a basic human right. This is nothing personal against
Laos. As soon as those men got back, people were released from
jail. But the job is not finished.
In terms of the International Religious Freedom Act, I think it
is going to be better to ask me about a year from now. I am in the
unusual position, which many U.S. Citizens would wish for all of
us that work in Congress, having been involved in creating a law,
but now I have to implement it. Citizens wish that all of us would
have to.
But it gives me the opportunity now to see how it works, and I
have only been on the job a few months. Let’s keep talking. I am
sure that I am going to find things that could be improved.
Mr. SMITH. Thank you.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you.
Mr. Pitts.
Mr. PITTS. Thank you, Madam Chair. And that delegation of Laotian
officials, Ambassador Seiple brought them to my district, and
we took them to an Amish farm and showed them how Amish worship
in their houses. They were quite impressed with the way the
minority groups in our country worship.
Go back. To follow up on India and Gujarat, we are in the midst
of a war on terrorism, in which many people in other countries say
that the U.S. Is fighting Islam and Muslims. Now, we know that
is not true. But it seems logical, therefore, that our government
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