[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           HONORING THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU

                                 ______


                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 1994

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the people of 
the Republic of Palau on the occasion of the implementation of the 
Compact of Free Association between the Republic of Palau and the 
United States on October 1, 1994.
  It was my honor to attend the ceremonies in Koror, the capital of the 
Republic of Palau as a representative of the Committee on Natural 
Resources. I was 1 of 4,000 people, including 300 foreign dignitaries, 
who had the privilege to witness the citizens of the Republic of Palau 
raise their national flag for the first time to the international 
community as an independent nation.
  The United States has fulfilled its commitment to the Pacific peoples 
who were entrusted to its care after World War II by the United 
Nations. I commend Secretary Bruce Babbitt for his stewardship in 
completing this obligation.
  After more than 40 years under the United Nations trusteeship 
administered by the United States, the new political status of the 
Republic of Palau is manifested in their Compact of Free Association. 
The Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs, chaired by the 
Honorable Ron DeLugo, deserves praise in being the primary supporter of 
the compact since 1987. Chairman DeLugo and the Honorable George 
Miller, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, were 
instrumental in guiding the implementation of the compact through 
Congress. I commend them for their personal commitment and assistance 
to the people of Palau.
  Through their respective compacts, the Republic of Palau joins the 
ranks of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States 
of Micronesia as independent Pacific nations associated with the United 
States. Along with terminating the United Nations mandate and 
establishing Palau as a New Independent State, the compact provides for 
the mutual security of Palau and the United States, and assistance to 
the new Republic to ensure a viable economic future by investing in 
essential infrastructure.
  The Honorable Kuniwo Nakamura, the first President of the Republic of 
Palau, declared to the world on October 1 that,

       Today Palau leaves behind the safe harbor of trusteeship 
     and journeys forth as the newest member of the international 
     family of nations. Our relationship with the United States 
     has always been, and always will continue to be, based on 
     mutual friendship, respect and trust.

  I commend President Nakamura for his visionary leadership. The people 
of Palau, in choosing to be independent, have embarked on a journey 
destined to ensure their rightful place in the world and their place in 
history. As a small Pacific island nation of 15,000 people in an 
archipelago of 343 islands, the Palauans have linked their fate to 
their self-confidence in their ability to forge a republic that would, 
above all, ensure the cultural survival of a proud people.
  The people of Guam, joins me today in extending our very best wishes 
and congratulations to the people of the Republic of Palau on this 
historic occasion. As island neighbors, we on Guam have been inspired 
by the persistence and fortitude of the Palauan people in achieving 
their new political status. In what has been a difficult, and often 
tumultuous path to independence, the people of Palau have shown great 
courage in reaching their goal.
  We share the joy of the Palauan people on their independence, we 
share their confidence in their own abilities to forge a new nation, 
and we share their hopes for a prosperous and secure future for their 
children.

                          ____________________