[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S14429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S14429]]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 71--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
 MIAMI, FLORIDA, AND NOT A COMPETING FOREIGN CITY, SHOULD SERVE AS THE 
  PERMANENT LOCATION FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE FREE TRADE AREA OF THE 
                   AMERICAS (FTAA) BEGINNING IN 2005

  Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. Mack) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

                            S. Con. Res. 71

       Whereas deliberations on establishing a ``Free Trade Area 
     of the Americas'' (FTAA) will help facilitate greater 
     cooperation and understanding on trade barrier throughout the 
     Americas;
       Whereas the trade minister of 34 countries of the Western 
     Hemisphere agreed in 1998 to create a permanent Secretariat 
     in order to support negotiation on establishing the FTAA;
       Whereas the FTAA Secretariat will employ persons to provide 
     logistical, administrative, archival, translation, 
     publication, and distribution support for the negotiations;
       Whereas the FTAA Secretariat will be funded by a 
     combination of local resources and institutional resources 
     from a tripartite committee consisting of the Inter-American 
     Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States 
     (OAS), and the United Nations Economic Commission on Latin 
     America and the Caribbean (ECLAC);
       Whereas the temporary site of the FTAA Secretariat will be 
     located in Miami, Florida, from 1999 until February 28, 2001, 
     at which point the Secretariat will rotate to Panama City, 
     Panama, until February 28, 2003, and then rotate to Mexico 
     City, Mexico, until February 28, 2005;
       Whereas by 2005 the FTAA Secretariat will have 
     international institution status providing jobs and 
     tremendous economic benefits to its host city;
       Whereas a permanent site for the FTAA Secretariat after 
     2005 will likely be selected from among the 3 temporary host 
     cities;
       Whereas the city of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and the State 
     of Florida have long served as the gateway for trade with the 
     Caribbean and Latin America;
       Whereas trade between the city of Miami, Florida, and the 
     countries of Latin America and the Caribbean totaled 
     $36,793,000,000 in 1998;
       Whereas the Miami-Dade area and the State of Florida 
     possess the necessary infrastructure, local resources, and 
     culture necessary for the FTAA Secretariat's permanent site;
       Whereas the United States possesses the world's largest 
     economy and is the leading proponent of trade liberalization 
     throughout the world; and
       Whereas the city of Miami, Florida, the State of Florida, 
     and the United States are uniquely situated among other 
     competing locations to host the ``Brussels of the Western 
     Hemisphere'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the 
     President should direct the United States representative to 
     the ``Free Trade Area of the Americas'' (FTAA) negotiations 
     to use all available means in order to secure Miami, Florida, 
     as the permanent site of the FTAA Secretariat after February 
     28, 2005.

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