Senate Hearing - 06.06.2000

 

Senator Raises Belarus Concerns

At a June 6 confirmation hearing, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) raised concerns about the ongoing case of a virulent anti-Semitic book published in Belarus.

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing chaired by Senator Smith, he urged Michael G. Kozak as the U.S. Ambassador-designate to Belarus to make religious freedom and anti-Semitism in particular a top priority of his new posting to Minsk.

Senator Smith pointed to the specific case of War According to the Laws of Viciousness, "a compendium of anti-Semitic diatribes including excerpts from the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion," whose publisher has been sued for libel by the Belarus Jewish community. A local court as well as an appeals court have both maintained that the book is "scientific in nature". Senator Smith also indicated that the government of Belarus may have been involved in the book’s publication. He asked Kozak, as "a personal favor" to him, to ensure that these issues are followed up directly with the government of Belarus.

Kozak, who most recently represented the U.S. Government in Cuba, noted that religious freedom in Belarus has been negatively affected by the difficult political circumstances in Belarus and the government’s suppression of independent institutions. Kozak reported that the U.S. Embassy in Minsk has been "increasingly taking up issues of religious persecution" including the recent case of a Roman Catholic priest whose activities were being restricted. As Ambassador, Kozak promised, he will continue these and other efforts though he could not guarantee the Belarus Government’s responsiveness.

In addition to Kozak, the other nominees being considered for Senate confirmation were John F. Tefft as Ambassador to Lithuania, John Martin O’Keefe as Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, and W. Robert Pearson as Ambassador to Turkey.
[Update: The U.S. Senate confirmed the Tefft and O'Keefe nominations on June 9, 2000, and Michael G. Kozak was confirmed on September 8, 2000.]

Statement of Michael G. Kozak before the Foreign Relations Committee

Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to be considered by this committee for the opportunity to serve as Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Belarus. I believe that my experience during my almost 29 years in the Department of State could be of use were the Senate to confirm me to this post.

Last Fall I finished a three year assignment in Cuba as the chief of our diplomatic mission in Havana. The policy, operations and security challenges we faced there are quite similar to those our Embassy in Minsk must confront.

Earlier in this Administration, I served as a special negotiator for Haiti. In that capacity, I had the opportunity to work with the various elements of Haitian society in support of efforts to restore democratic processes and to foster the growth of strong independent institutions in the society. I also worked closely with the United Nations, our allies, and interested Members of Congress in trying to find an effective means to support those who shared our democratic goals.

During the latter part of the Reagan Administration and for most of the Bush Administration, I served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter- American Affairs. In that capacity, I was involved in our efforts to bring about democratic change in Panama, Nicaragua and El Salvador. In this regard, I not only had the experience of working closely with representatives of the countries concerned, but with our own Congress. This experience reinforced my conviction that if we are to succeed abroad, we must have a broad-based, bipartisan consensus in support of our policy at home.

Prior to my service in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Mr. Chairman, I served seventeen years in the Office of the Legal Adviser of the Department of State, ending my career there as Principal Deputy Legal Adviser of the Department. In that capacity, I had the opportunity to participate in many interesting negotiations. But even more importantly, I was able to observe in many different parts of the world just how important the rule of law is to the survival of democracy.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, I have had the opportunity to work closely with some of the giants of our diplomatic service, including Ellsworth Bunker, Phil Habib, and Larry Eagleburger, as well as with distinguished elected officials in the Executive Branch and in the Congress. The lessons one learns from observing such people in action are the most valuable of all.

As you know, Belarus is a country that is undergoing a serious constitutional and political crisis. This crisis has been occasioned by the extra-constitutional efforts of the individual elected President in 1994 to extend his term of office and to subordinate all important institutions of the Belarusan state to Executive authority. This effort to return Belarus to the form of government it endured during the Soviet period without question has adversely affected the human rights, economic, and social wellbeing of the Belarusan people. There is also legitimate concern on the part of Belarus' neighbors in Europe that this crisis, if left unattended, could eventually spill over to affect their own interests. And Belarusan support for other hostile regimes clearly affects our own interests. Indeed, members of the staff of this committee, after a recent visit to Belarus, wrote an excellent article, which aptly described that country as "the Cuba of Europe."

When I was told that I was a candidate to serve in Belarus, I began reading reports from our Embassy there, the press, and international non- governmental organizations. What struck me most was how precisely parallel are the means being utilized by the Castro and Lukashenko regimes to control their own people. Apart from the names of the victims, the descriptions of human rights violations in each country are often almost identical. Likewise, the rhetoric of President Lukashenko, accusing NATO and the United States of harboring intentions to invade Belarus, reflects a vintage theme of Fidel Castro. Reports that Belarus may have supplied weapons to Iran and Iraq, if confirmed, would clearly affect adversely our own interests and those of the world community.

Mr. Chairman, I believe there is a strong bipartisan consensus in the Congress and with the Executive Branch that the United States priority in Belarus must be to support the efforts of the Belarusan people and of other interested countries to restore democratic process to that country. Our effort is not to side with one faction or another in the internal politics of Belarus nor is it to try to pick potential winners or losers. Rather, it is to support the restoration and maintenance of democratic processes that will allow the Belarusan people themselves to make those decisions periodically through peaceful means.

If confirmed, Mr. Chairman, I will do my best to continue the great work that our Embassy has been doing to accomplish these goals and to live up to the confidence that you, the members of the Senate, the President, and the great American diplomats and political leaders have placed in me over the years. Thank you.