[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 59 (Thursday, May 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4641-S4642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      WELCOMING U.S. DECISION TO PARTICIPATE IN EXPO '98 IN LISBON

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, on another matter, last month, the White 
House announced that it has accepted an invitation from the Portuguese 
Government to participate in the international exposition to be held in 
Lisbon in 1998. This is good news indeed. I commend President Clinton 
for this decision.
  I have long encouraged the administration to take this step. Last 
year, I sponsored a resolution calling for U.S. participation in Expo 
'98. In March of this year, I visited the site of the expo while in 
Lisbon for President Sampaio's inauguration. During my visit, I took 
the opportunity to learn in detail the goals and themes of the expo 
from Antonio Cardoso Cunha, commissioner-general and chairman of Expo 
'98.
  Earlier this week, we welcomed Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama 
to Washington. Accordingly, I believe it is a particular appropriate 
time to bring Expo '98 to the attention of my colleagues and to express 
my enthusiasm for working with our Portuguese allies on this important 
project.
  The theme of Expo '98 appropriately, will be ``The Oceans, a Heritage 
for the Future'' and will focus on environmental topics. As the 
resident of a coastal State which shares with Portugal a rich maritime 
tradition, I cannot imagine a more appropriate or more unifying theme. 
The U.N. General Assembly has declared 1998 as the International Year 
of the Ocean in an effort to alert the world to the need to improve the 
physical and cultural assets of the world's oceans. A fundamental goal 
of Expo '98 will be to focus on the growing importance of the world's 
oceans and to foster a debate on the sustainable use of marine 
resources and environmental protection. The United States, of course, 
has a vested interest in being part of this debate.
  Our participation in this exposition, which marks the 500th 
anniversary of the historic voyage from Europe to India of the 
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, should be a source of pride for 
those of Portuguese heritage, as well as a source of great interest for 
all those with a concern for the oceans and a sense of history. 
Portugal, of course, has a great history of sea exploration, and in 
fact, helped to create important trade links between the peoples of 
Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal 
since the 12th century, is a vibrant cultural

[[Page S4642]]

and economic center, and its location on the Atlantic makes it a fine 
choice for an expo focused on the sea.
  Expo '98 offers opportunities for U.S. business as well. The 
organizers of Expo '98 will provide all facilities relating to each 
national pavilion free of charge. Accordingly, participating countries 
will have to provide only the contents of its representation. The U.S. 
exhibit will be financed completely by the private sector. Such an 
arrangement is a win-win situation--for the U.S. Government and for 
U.S. businesses which may be able to receive increased international 
exposure through their participation. I am hopeful that a commissioner 
general who will be responsible for coordinating the U.S. effort and 
for securing corporate sponsorships will soon be appointed so that we 
can move ahead quickly.
  I add also, having it this year brings attention to the Law of the 
Sea Treaty, which needs to be acted upon.
  I remember myself in 1940 seeing the last time we had a world 
exhibition in Lisbon and seeing the amount of the world's surface that 
was under Portuguese rule. On a personal note, I remember attending an 
exhibition in 1940 while visiting my father who was posted as the U.S. 
Minister to Lisbon. At that time, I attended the Exhibition of the 
Portuguese World, which focused on the contributions of Portugal's far 
flung colonies. Lisbon was a wonderful site, and the Portuguese people 
were perfect hosts for such an exhibition. With such a firm tradition 
of hospitality already well established, I know that Portugal will 
prove the ideal choice for hosting the 1998 expo.
  I am pleased that the United States sill be joining dozens of other 
countries--including Germany, Greece, the United Kingdom, Morocco, 
India, Pakistan, and Cape Verde--to name a few--in participating in the 
last expo of this century. As a long-time friend of Portugal and the 
Portuguese people, I look forward to working together to make Expo '98 
a success. I yield the floor.

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