[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 23, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H8490-H8493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENSE OF THE HOUSE WITH RESPECT TO IMPORTANCE OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 
                      WITH PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 505) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives with respect to the importance of diplomatic relations 
with the Pacific Island Nations.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 505

       Whereas the South Pacific region covers an immense area of 
     the earth, approximately 3 times the size of the contiguous 
     United States;
       Whereas the United States seeks to maintain strong and 
     enduring economic, political, and strategic ties with the 
     Pacific island countries of the region, despite the reduced 
     diplomatic presence of the United States in the region since 
     World War II;
       Whereas Pacific island nations wield control over vast 
     tracts of the ocean, including seabed minerals, fishing 
     rights, and other marine resources which will play a major 
     role in the future of the global economy;
       Whereas access to these valuable resources will be vital in 
     maintaining the position of

[[Page H8491]]

     the United States as the leading world power in the new 
     millennium;
       Whereas Asian countries have already recognized the 
     important role that these Pacific island nations will play in 
     the future of the global economy, as evidenced by the Tokyo 
     summit meeting in October 1997 with various Pacific island 
     heads of state;
       Whereas the Pacific has long been regarded as one of the 
     ``last frontiers'', with an enormous wealth of uncultivated 
     resources; and
       Whereas direct United States participation in the human and 
     natural resource development of the South Pacific region 
     would promote beneficial ties with these Pacific island 
     nations and increase the possibilities of access to the 
     region's valuable resources: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) it is in the national interest of the United States to 
     remain actively engaged in the South Pacific region as a 
     means of supporting important United States commercial and 
     strategic interests, and to encourage the consolidation of 
     democratic values;
       (2) a Pacific island summit, hosted by the President of the 
     United States with the Pacific island heads of government, 
     would be an excellent opportunity for the United States to 
     foster and improve diplomatic relations with the Pacific 
     island nations;
       (3) through diplomacy and participation in the human and 
     natural resource development of the Pacific region, the 
     United States will increase the possibility of gaining access 
     to valuable resources, thus strengthening the position of the 
     United States as a world power economically and strategically 
     in the new millennium; and
       (4) the United States should fulfill its longstanding 
     commitment to the democratization and economic prosperity of 
     the Pacific island nations by promoting their earliest 
     integration in the mainstream of bilateral, regional, and 
     global commerce and trade.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for introducing this important 
resolution, and I want to commend the Chairman and ranking minority 
member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), 
for the role they played in crafting this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that the House has the opportunity to 
express its support for the concepts within the resolution. H. Res. 505 
expresses the sense of the House that the importance of relations with 
the Pacific Island Nations be emphasized. Our Nation has a long history 
of friendship and important alliances with many of the small island 
nations in the South Pacific. Their overwhelming support at the United 
Nations for U.S. initiatives and the strategic access we are given to 
their waters and ports have not gone unnoticed by this committee. Their 
many sacrifices during the Second World War and the aftereffects in 
nuclear testing created the foundation that insured world peace.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I support the gentlemen's resolution, and I 
urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 505.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
House Resolution 505. I introduced this resolution in July to recognize 
the importance of diplomatic relations between the United States and 
the Pacific Island Nations.
  I am deeply appreciative of the efforts of the chairman and ranking 
Democratic Member of the House Committee on International Relations, 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from Indiana 
(Mr. Hamilton), for supporting House Resolution 505 as original 
cosponsors and for passage of the measure before the full committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also thank the chairman and ranking Democratic 
members of the Committee on International Relations' Subcommittee on 
Asia and the Pacific, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), as well as our esteemed 
colleagues in the full committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Hastings) for joining us as original cosponsors of 
House Resolution 505.
  Mr. Speaker, my thanks also go to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. 
Mink), the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood), the gentleman from 
Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), the gentleman from California (Mr. Matsui) 
and the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim) for their support of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has had a long and extraordinarily 
deep relationship with our allies and friends of the Pacific Islands. 
One need only mention the names of Guadalcanal, Midway, Wake Island, 
Guam and Saipan to recall the critical battles waged in the Pacific 
during World War II. In that terrible conflict and during the Cold War, 
our Pacific Island allies have fought and worked alongside Americans to 
preserve peace and nurture democracy in the Pacific region.
  The people of the Marshall Islands, in particular, have made 
tremendous sacrifices which have greatly contributed to America's 
nuclear deterrence. During the 1940s and the 1950s the homelands and 
the Marshallese people were subjected to some 67 U.S. nuclear tests, an 
ordeal from which they are still struggling to recover.

                              {time}  1530

  The contributions of Pacific islanders have truly enhanced American 
security and stability. Today, a half century later, Mr. Speaker, we 
should not forget our commitment to our friends in this part of the 
world.
  The Pacific Ocean covers one-third of the earth's surface, and 
spanning it are the 7,500 islands which comprise the 22 Pacific island 
nations and territories.
  Mr. Speaker, while budgetary cutbacks have resulted in a reduced U.S. 
diplomatic presence in the region, our Nation continues to have 
substantial interests in the Pacific, whether that be in areas of 
investment and trade, strategic and regional security, democratic 
government and human rights, or protection of the environment.
  In particular, with the advent of the Law of the Sea Conference and 
increasing international enforcement of exclusive economic zones, the 
Pacific island governments wield control over vast tracks of the entire 
Pacific Ocean. The millions of square miles of the Pacific Ocean under 
the jurisdiction of island nations encompass productive fisheries, 
undersea minerals, and important sea lanes, increasingly vital assets 
in the future of a global economy.
  For example, Mr. Speaker, some of the world's richest and most 
diverse fishing grounds are found in the Pacific region, where the 
United States nets the bulk of tuna consumed by our fellow Americans. I 
would note that much of that tuna is processed in canneries in my own 
district in American Samoa.
  On the ocean floor by Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga lie seabed 
mineral deposits and undersea nodules containing valuable minerals such 
as manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, silver and gold. The EEZ waters 
of the sparsely populated Cook Islands alone are projected to contain 
at least $150 billion of sea bed nodules.
  The lesson has not been lost on Asian nations that have invested in 
the region, Mr. Speaker, including China, South Korea, and, in 
particular, Japan. Last October, then Prime Minister Hashimoto of Japan 
hosted a Tokyo summit meeting with Pacific island heads of government. 
No doubt, Japan is making a long term investment and an economic 
investment for the 21st Century.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 505 sends the message that it is 
important for the United States to cultivate diplomatic relations today 
with the Pacific island nations to foster strong economic ties 
tomorrow, and this will

[[Page H8492]]

directly facilitate access to the region's valuable marine resources in 
the next millennium. For economic as well as strategic reasons, the 
United States should not permit others to step into the vacuum created 
by the lack of a strong U.S. policy and presence in the Pacific region.
  Mr. Speaker, in furtherance of that goal, House Resolution 505 
strongly urges that the President of the United States host a summit 
meeting with the Pacific island Heads of State and Governments to 
improve diplomatic relations with the Pacific island nations.
  I would humbly suggest the perfect opportunity to conduct the Pacific 
Island Summit would be upon the President's return from the APEC 
meeting scheduled for November 1999 in Wellington, New Zealand. Since 
it is appropriate that the summit meeting take place in the Pacific, I 
suggest the East-West Center in Hawaii provides the ideal forum. Since 
its formation in 1960, the East-West Center has been the region's most 
respected institution for furthering U.S. relations with the Asian-
Pacific region.
  Before concluding, Mr. Speaker, I would note that an identical 
counterpart to House Resolution 505 has been introduced this month in 
the Senate by my good friend and distinguished Senator from Hawaii, 
Senator Daniel Inouye. Senator Inouye's measure, Senate Resolution 277, 
has been cosponsored by Senators Dan Akaka, Ted Stevens, Orrin Hatch, 
Robert Byrd, Craig Thomas, Ernest Hollings, William Roth, Wendell Ford, 
Barbara Boxer, Frank Murkowski and Jeff Sessions, and is before the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee now. I thank and commend Senator 
Inouye, who has long demonstrated commitment and unmatched leadership 
in the affairs of the Pacific region.
  Mr. Speaker, I would urge that our colleagues support adoption of 
House Resolution 505 as it is in the national interest of the United 
States that we preserve strong and enduring economic, political and 
strategic ties with the Pacific island nations.
  America cannot afford to neglect our friends in the Pacific. Adoption 
of this resolution and the holding of a Pacific Island Summit will 
ensure that we do not, and that our allies understand that the United 
States intends to remain firmly engaged in the Pacific region for our 
mutual benefit.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support and adopt this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the 
distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank the chairman for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 505, a resolution 
recognizing the tremendous importance of the Pacific island region and 
calling for U.S. participation and, in fact, leadership for a Pacific 
Island Summit.
  This resolution was introduced in July, as you heard, by the 
distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). It is 
cosponsored in original cosponsorship by the chairman and ranking 
member of the full committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) 
and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) as well as the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Berman), the ranking member of the subcommittee I 
chair, and myself, along with other distinguished members of our 
subcommittee and the full committee.
  Mr. Speaker, we unanimously approved of in the subcommittee this 
resolution on September 9th, and the full Committee on International 
Relations followed suit the following day, September 10th.
  This Member would congratulate particularly the distinguished 
gentleman from American Samoa for introducing this timely and important 
resolution. He is rightly recognized throughout this body for his 
commitment and support for the Pacific islands, and today's resolution 
certainly reflects that commitment.
  Mr. Speaker, while the Pacific island nations are a vast and 
important region with enormous potential, it is nonetheless true that 
it has recently largely escaped international attention. Of late, 
international attention has been focused on the political and social 
unrest in other parts of Asia, together with the financial crisis and 
nuclear and missile proliferation. The gentleman from American Samoa is 
to be commended for reminding this body that the Pacific islands are 
economically and diplomatically important to the United States, and we 
ignore them to our detriment.
  In the years since the end of the Second World War, the United States 
policy toward the Pacific islands has been dominated by military and 
security considerations. Certainly the deep water port facilities, the 
missile test ranges and the jungle training facilities offered by the 
Pacific islands were essential considerations during the Cold War. But 
the legislation before this body today expands the focus beyond the 
security arena, correctly addressing economic issues, the environment 
and political cooperation.

  It is, I think, self-evident in this Nation's interest to pursue such 
a broad agenda with these small nations of the Pacific. Endowed with 
vast natural resources, this ocean continent of islands is poised to 
make valuable contributions to the global economy. U.S. fishing 
companies already enjoy fishing rights in certain waters controlled by 
these nations, and improved diplomatic ties would increase the 
potential for the United States to further benefit from the Pacific's 
wealth of resources, as well as benefiting those nations. Similarly, 
there is an enormous potential to exploit the vast mineral wealth of 
the Pacific for the benefit of the globe and for the benefit of these 
Pacific island nations and their people.
  House Resolution 505 also recommends that the United States host a 
Pacific Island Summit as a means of highlighting the myriad of 
bilateral-multilateral issues of the region. This Member believes that 
is a very important element of this resolution, and suggests indeed, as 
my colleague has suggested and I reiterate, that a summit is an 
excellent proposal. Such a summit probably could be scheduled with 
little difficulty in concert with the annual meeting of the Asia-
Pacific Economic Community, APEC, perhaps, as the gentleman suggests, 
and I agree, at the East-West Center in Hawaii. This Member would urge 
the administration to consider and act upon such a proposal.
  Lastly, I would note that the resolution's author has worked 
constructively with the majority, with his colleagues in the minority 
and with the administration to ensure that there are no unnecessary 
differentials in this resolution. By making this effort, the gentleman 
has permitted this body to speak with one voice on this important 
issue.
  Therefore, I urge our colleagues to support H. Res. 505, and I thank 
the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for his 
initiative.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, let me first identify myself with the 
comments of the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), 
the chairman of the subcommittee, and my good friend and colleague from 
American Samoa.
  The purpose of my rising is to commend the gentleman from American 
Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), not only for his leadership on this issue, 
but on a wide range of issues in the jurisdiction of the Committee on 
International Relations. The gentleman has not restricted his expertise 
to this most important region. His contributions to the work of our 
committee have extended across the globe.
  But I think it is particularly appropriate that the gentleman has 
taken the lead on this issue. His idea of holding a summit at the East-
West Center following the APEC meeting at Wellington, New Zealand, is 
an excellent one, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support 
this legislation. I also call on the administration to take the 
necessary steps to implement the gentleman's idea.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield five minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood).

[[Page H8493]]

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from American Samoa, 
my fellow islander, for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to associate myself with all of the remarks 
previously made by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), as well 
as the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and also extend my 
personal congratulations to my friend the gentleman from American Samoa 
(Mr. Faleomavaega) for this very important and timely resolution. I 
want to point out to the body that the gentleman personally made this 
suggestion to the President in a recent meeting about having a Pacific 
summit that would be in concert with the APEC summit, and it was very 
well received, and I am hopeful that the administration will heed his 
request and that we will see this summit come to fruition in the 
future.
  Mr. Speaker, on Guam, we share the Pacific Ocean with island nations 
like Palau and Vanuatu and many of the nations that are referred to and 
are being considered under this resolution, and we also share many of 
the same values and cultural traits which already enhance our 
significant bonds. Our geographical and our cultural proximity with 
other Pacific island nations gives Guam the opportunity to facilitate 
cultural, educational and economic exchanges with our Pacific 
neighbors.
  The United States already meets with Pacific island nations through 
such organizations as the South Pacific Forum, Pacific Economic 
Cooperation Council and the United Nations, but, as we enter the next 
millennium, I certainly encourage the United States to continue and in 
fact intensify its diplomatic and economic engagement.
  H. Res. 505 calls for this type of cooperation, and specifically 
calls for a Pacific summit. A Pacific summit would be a prodigious 
opportunity for the United States to dialogue with the leaders of 
nations which control vast marine resources, from fishing rights to sea 
bed minerals.
  The passage of H. Res. 505 is an indication that we are committed to 
our friends in the Pacific. As has been pointed out, the Pacific island 
nations are sometimes ignored in the process of even discussing the 
Pacific Ocean and the Asian-Pacific region. Sometimes in those 
discussions we are really talking about the Pacific rim nations.
  I always like to tell people it is like a big donut, and we are 
always concerned about the rim nations and we forget that it is the 
hole in the middle that makes the donut, and it is the Pacific basin 
and it is all those tiny little islands and tiny little nations which 
really are sitting on top of a vast variety of resources which need 
attention.

                              {time}  1545

  Not only are they economically important, but certainly they also 
have strategic and diplomatic importance, as well. It is also 
significant that in this, the International Year of the Ocean, we must 
also mean that it must be the International Year of the Islands in 
those oceans, and those islands whose cooperation is vitally necessary 
for the development and cultivation of ocean resources in an 
environmentally sound manner, while making sure that the islanders 
profit from those resources.
  This is a very timely, a very necessary resolution, and I urge its 
adoption.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would really like to express my appreciation to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and my good friend, the 
gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood), my fellow Pacific Islander, for 
their eloquence.
  I know this is probably the last piece of legislation that we will be 
working on as far as the Committee on International Relations 
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific is concerned, but I certainly 
would like to offer my highest commendation to the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the chairman of the subcommittee, not only for 
his keen insight, but the tremendous eloquence of his statement, which 
really, I could not have stated better, his full understanding and 
knowledge of what is happening there in the Pacific region.
  I really, really want to thank and commend him for his assistance, 
for his help, not only as a friend, but for his tremendous leadership 
that has been demonstrated as chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and 
the Pacific, and of course my good friend, the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Gilman).
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 
505.
  The South Pacific was one of the major theaters of World War II. 
During that time, the United States and the island nations of the 
Pacific established strong bonds that endure even after the passage of 
over half a century.
  Yet, while the United States has developed and maintained a strong 
economic, political, and strategic interest or presence in the Pacific, 
the same cannot be said of the United States diplomatic presence in the 
region, which has diminished considerably over the decades. This 
resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the United States 
should strengthen its diplomatic presence with the Pacific island 
nations.
  This resolution, by encouraging a greater U.S. diplomatic presence in 
the Pacific, recognizes that while the United States should promote and 
support its commercial and strategic interests by encouraging Pacific 
island nations to become more fully integrated into the regional and 
global economy, it is equally important that such integration be 
accompanied by the promotion and consolidation of human rights and 
democratic values. And, these broader developments can better be 
realized by reestablishing America's diplomatic presence in the South 
Pacific.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 
505.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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