William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
USA
RE: Forced resettlement of the "Dineh", Black Mesa, Arizona
Dear Mr. President:
In my capacity as deputy chair of the German Bundestag Subcommittee
for
Economic Cooperation and Development, I had the opportunity last
summer
along with colleagues of mine in the German Bundestag to discuss
the
history and current situation of the Dineh with their representatives.
Since then, I have been following developments in this affair
with
interest.
By 1 February 2000, the resettlement is to be concluded according
to the
will of the US government.
According to the information I have seen, the history of the
Dineh is
marked by massive encroachments upon their rights.
Since 1974, on the basis of US Public Laws 93-531 and 104-391,
about 9000
of the 12000 Dineh have had to abandon their traditional tribal
homeland.
However, about 3000 Dineh still persist in remaining on the land,
which is
holy to them. They appeal to the right, among others, of freedom
to
practice their religion. The forced resettlement and massive
pressure
applied on them threaten the existence of the Dineh people as
a whole.
Around the world, we find that economic interests threaten
indigenous
peoples and rob them of their right to freedom. The pressure
to deprive
them of their cultural identity reveals a questionable understanding
of
basic democratic rights. I cannot imagine that this can be considered
compatible with forward-thinking, sustainable development.
Therefore, I urge you to use your influence to ensure that
the Dineh
encounter justice. Basic human rights are too important to be
sacrificed
to the interests of a multinational corporation whose environmental
policy
is to be viewed with apprehension.
Dear Mr. President, please keep me informed of the extent to
which you are
able to achieve a positive influence.
Sincerely,
Brigitte Adler, Member of the German Bundestag