[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 159 (Thursday, November 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2351-E2353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO DEPUTY TREASURY SECRETARY STUART EIZENSTAT IN RECOGNITION OF 
      HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 10, 1999

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, last night a number of us joined in paying 
tribute to Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Stuart Eizenstat. He was 
honored at an event at the Department of State by our Secretary of 
State, Madeleine K. Albright, in recognition of his outstanding service 
as Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural 
Affairs.
  Mr. Speaker, Secretary Eizenstat is an extraordinary public servant 
who has undertaken exemplary efforts during his career in Washington. 
He served as the United States ambassador to the European Union, and 
then returned to Washington where he has served in three critical sub-
cabinet posts in three key departments--the Department of Commerce, the 
Department of State, and now the Department of Treasury, where he 
serves as Deputy Secretary.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Secretary Eizenstat for his dedicated and effective service to our 
nation on this occasion. I also ask, Mr. Speaker, that the excellent 
remarks of Secretary Albright honoring Secretary Eizenstat be placed in 
the Record, and I also ask that the remarks of Deputy Secretary 
Eizenstat in response and discussion of United States relations with 
the European Union also be placed in the Record.

                          EU-Eizenstat Dinner

       Ambassador Laajava: High Representative Solana; Secretary 
     of State Valtasaari; excellencies from the diplomatic corps; 
     Senators Baucus, Cleland, Lieberman and Sarbanes; Congressman 
     Lantos; members of the Eizenstat family; friends, colleagues 
     and distinguished guests: Good evening.
       It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the State 
     Department. We are gathered here tonight for two very good 
     reasons: to honor the Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions of the 
     Members of the European Union and the European Commission; 
     and to thank Stu Eizenstat for his magnificent job as Under 
     Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural 
     Affairs.
       Ten years ago tonight, the Berlin Wall was brought down 
     from both sides, signalling an end to one chapter in the 
     Euro-Atlantic Alliance, and the beginning of another.
       Since that time, the partnership between America and Europe 
     has grown stronger and deeper, to take on new challenges not 
     just on the continent but around the globe.
       Today, we are working together to advance peace and 
     stability in the Balkans, on the Korean Peninsula, and in the 
     Middle East.

[[Page E2352]]

       We are working to prevent the proliferation of nuclear 
     weapons, while fighting criminals, terrorists and drug 
     traffickers wherever they may be.
       We are providing support for democracy from Russia and 
     Ukraine to Nigeria and Indonesia.
       And our $300 billion-a-year trading relationship continues 
     to grow, as we prepare together for a new round of WTO 
     negotiations.
       None of this has happened by accident. It has been the 
     result of hard work and detailed planning, including long 
     hours of close consultations. The European diplomats whom we 
     honor here tonight have been an essential part of that, and 
     they deserve our heartfelt thanks.
       And of course, no one has done more to strengthen the U.S.-
     EU relationship than Stu Eizenstat.
       I first met Stu more than twenty years ago, when he was the 
     Domestic Policy Adviser at the White House. Stu was young to 
     have that top job, but his boss at the time--President Jimmy 
     Carter--had a slogan: ``Why not the best?'' And I am sure you 
     will all agree that Stu Eizenstat is the best.
       In the post-Cold War world, American security and 
     prosperity depend increasingly on a stable and growing world 
     economy. When I became Secretary of State, I wanted our 
     diplomacy to reflect that fact.
       So I asked Stu to make sure that the State Department was 
     doing its part to bring down trade barriers; open new 
     markets; coordinate with our allies; and sustain what is now 
     the longest economic expansion in American history. Thanks 
     largely to his efforts, the United States has remained a 
     global leader in economic diplomacy, with clear benefits both 
     for our country and the world.
       And no one has done more to negotiate the very hardest 
     issues raised by sanctions. It is testimony to his diplomatic 
     skill that even to this day Stu Eizenstat remains on speaking 
     terms both with Jesse Helms and France.
       We do not have time tonight to go over the full list of 
     Stu's professional accomplishments. Suffice it to say that on 
     each of the key international economic issues of the past 
     seven years, from outlawing foreign commercial bribery to 
     launching a new Transatlantic Economic Partnership, Stu has 
     been there, leading the way.
       He has also been a great help to me in reaching out to the 
     business community, because there is no more natural a 
     constituency for a strong and successful American foreign 
     policy. He has helped especially in emphasizing the 
     importance of resources to back our leadership, and in taking 
     the case for adequate foreign affairs funding to Capitol 
     Hill. I know this remains a concern of Stu's at his new post 
     at Treasury. And I'm sure he is supportive of my major 
     preoccupation this week, which is to say to Congress that the 
     time has come, at long last, this year, to pay America's UN 
     bills.
       I suspect one of the reasons Stu Eizenstat has been so 
     successful is because of his remarkable stamina and patience. 
     He is famous for outlasting even his youngest colleagues in 
     all-night negotiations, and bringing people together when 
     most everyone else had given up. He is a living testament to 
     what a combination of determination and tuna fish sandwiches 
     can do.
       Stu has skill, determination and wit. That is a lot, but if 
     it were all, I doubt we would be honoring him here tonight. 
     Stu Eizenstat has shown throughout his career a dedication 
     not only to succeeding, but to succeeding in the right cause, 
     for the right purpose, in the right way. He understands that 
     public service is not having a big office or a fancy title, 
     it's about getting things that matter done.
       I don't know a better example than Stu's leadership on the 
     issue of Holocaust assets. No one else could have done what 
     he did: to shine with an unwavering hand the light of truth; 
     to advocate fairly but with unrelenting honesty the need for 
     justice; and to handle a raft of deeply emotional issues with 
     unmatched dignity. For that work alone, Stu earned the 
     Economist's praise as a ``national treasure'' but I think the 
     entire world has reason to be grateful to this man.
       So now without further ado let me present Deputy Secretary 
     Eizenstat with the State Department's Distinguished Service 
     Award:

       ``For exceptional commitment to public service and the 
     public interest in the execution of U.S. foreign and economic 
     policy as Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, 
     and Agricultural Affairs from 1997-1999. Your countless 
     contributions in the international economic sphere helped to 
     make the United States an anchor of stability and hope for 
     people throughout the world. In addition, your dedication, 
     perseverance and creativity opened new avenues to obtain 
     justice and closure for victims of the Holocaust in the 
     United States and around the world. Your personal example of 
     values and morality in government service inspired all who 
     served with you.''

                     Remarks by Stuart E. Eizenstat


 At Presentation of Distinguished Service Award by Secretary of State 
                           Madeleine Albright

       Madame Secretary, your remarks and this award are 
     especially meaningful for several reasons. First, that it has 
     come from you, a friend of over two decades, whose remarkable 
     career I have watched up close--from our years together at 
     the Carter White House, our work on presidential campaigns; 
     your presidency of the Center for National Policy which I 
     helped found with you; and now at the pinnacle, more than two 
     exciting years working under your inspired leadership as 
     Secretary of State. You have been not only a role model for 
     women, who have seen you shatter the glass ceiling in the 
     field of diplomacy. But you have become the embodiment, for 
     all Americans and for people the world over, of the foreign 
     policy of the greatest nation on earth. By bringing me back 
     to the State Department, where I began this Administration as 
     Ambassador to the European Union, you gave me the opportunity 
     to work again with the dedicated professionals in the career 
     Foreign Service and Civil Service who give so much time and 
     talent to this country--at home and abroad. I have been 
     privileged to serve with them. This award belongs to them, as 
     well as to me. I have seen American diplomats, among their 
     other responsibilities, time and again help our businesses 
     win contracts in the face of tough foreign competition. Yet 
     they receive so little credit and so few resources with which 
     to work. Our foreign affairs budget is less than 1% of the 
     Federal budget, but it makes 50% of the history of our time. 
     As you have said so eloquently Madame Secretary, we cannot be 
     a superpower on the cheap. It is urgent for Congress to give 
     the men and women who conduct our foreign policy--political 
     and economic--the support needed for America to continue to 
     be the leading nation in the world.
       Second, just as you, Madam Secretary, have created a family 
     spirit at the State Department, I am deeply grateful that you 
     would permit me to share this moment with some of my many 
     family and friends who have come from near and far to be 
     here. To all of you, especially my dear wife Fran, my 
     lifelong companion, adviser, and supporter, my sons Jay and 
     Brian and their wives Jessica and Erin, and my mother Sylvia 
     and mother-in-law Sarah, thank you for being here so that I 
     can share this award with those who have done so much to make 
     it possible for me to receive it.
       Last, it is particularly meaningful that this award is 
     being given at a dinner in honor of the Ambassadors of the 
     fifteen nations of the European Union, because so much of my 
     work, and yours, Madame Secretary, has involved European 
     relations. We are at the end of a century and a millennium. 
     This nation was founded over two centuries ago by people who 
     took the best ideas and ideals from Europe and shaped them in 
     the crucible of a new world. We gave the world an example of 
     a democratic revolution and a democratic form of government. 
     This was our gift to Europe and the entire world, but it drew 
     heavily from European philosophers and models. The 20th 
     century has drawn us ever closer together across what many 
     now call the pond--the Atlantic Ocean. In two world wars, the 
     United States of America has expended vast resources and seen 
     the blood of its finest men and women shed, along with those 
     of our European allies, some of whom make even greater 
     sacrifices, to secure democracy and freedom against tyranny, 
     brutality and dictatorship. Europe's cause became our cause 
     because we realized that their liberty and our own security 
     were inextricably intertwined.
       We were not content to simply win the War. Together we also 
     won the peace, and we did so as partners. Through the 
     Marshall Plan we began the process of rebuilding war-torn 
     Europe but also fostered European unity, so that in the 
     future great wars on the European continent would be 
     inconceivable. We created enduring institutions, military and 
     economic, NATO, the Bretton Woods institutions (the IMF and 
     World Bank) and the OECD.
       Over four harsh decades, we stayed together as the most 
     intimate allies poised to defend Europe and freedom against 
     any Soviet threat. Together we won the Cold War and together 
     we created a new opportunity for a European continent united, 
     whole, and free.
       No one has done more in our country, except for the 
     President himself, to bring life to the dream of European 
     unity than Secretary Albright. It was her vision and 
     determination, together with our European allies, which made 
     it possible for former Communist countries of the Soviet-
     dominated Warsaw Pact to become members of NATO. It was she 
     who led the charge within the Administration to make NATO 
     relevant to post-Cold War realities and who incorporated the 
     lessons of World War II and the Holocaust by stemming Serbian 
     aggression in Bosnia and in Kosovo together with our European 
     allies. Now that we together won that war, together we must 
     win this peace as we did after World War II.
       My own efforts for this Administration have been 
     inextricably intertwined with the European Union. To me the 
     two historic European events of the last half of the 20th 
     century have been the end of Communism and the development of 
     the European Union. The EU is one of the boldest visions and 
     most successful experiments in peacemaking and shared 
     sovereignty in the history of the world. I have observed up 
     close the development of a single economic market, the 
     creation of the Euro (which as early as 1993 I believed would 
     be born), and the efforts to build a commensurate political 
     cohesion. We recognize that Europe's economic health is 
     directly connected to ours, and we have built the world's 
     largest trade and investment relationship. But, we also 
     recognize that America cannot go it alone and achieve our 
     political and economic objectives. We strongly support the 
     development of your Common Foreign and Security Policy, whose 
     first High Representative, Javier Solana, is here, because we 
     believe that with our shared democratic, free market, 
     pluralistic

[[Page E2353]]

     values, this common EU policy will allow us to be even more 
     effective partners in the 21st century to protect freedom and 
     human rights not only in Europe but around the world.
       In 1955, I was pleased to be part of the creation of the 
     New Transatlantic Agenda and in 1998 the Transatlantic 
     Economic Partnership to bind us closer together in the post-
     Cold War era and to try to nip contentious disputes in the 
     bud.
       Our work together last year in dealing with difficult 
     economic sanctions legislation affecting investments in Cuba 
     and Iran turned a potential negative in our relations into a 
     positive joint effort that led to a common effort to promote 
     human rights in Cuba and to deter Iran from acquiring weapons 
     of mass destruction.
       And, my continued work with many of the nations of the 
     European Union, including Germany today, is seeking to bring 
     belated justice to the victims of the Holocaust, the most 
     profound human tragedy to occur on the European continent.
       Through all of this certain lessons emerge that can guide 
     our future partnership:
       I have seen that when we act together great things happen 
     and the world takes notice and follows. I was privileged to 
     be part of the final negotiations for the Uruguay Trade Round 
     in Brussels where our last minute compromise on agricultural 
     and industrial issues broke a seven-year impasse and gave the 
     world the benefits of the greatest trade liberalization in 
     history. The partnership we were able to forge with the EU in 
     Kyoto, Japan made possible the Kyoto Protocol to combat 
     global warming.
       America must unite with its allies in the fight for freedom 
     around the world. Although we have the economic, political, 
     and military capability to wage this fight, America alone 
     cannot be successful. In the immortal words of Thomas 
     Jefferson, in our Declaration of Independence, we must have 
     ``a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.'' We need our 
     European allies and other allies as full partners in Europe 
     and beyond.
       We must develop transatlantic relationships with our 
     private sectors, NGOs and civil societies. We will solidify 
     our relationships for the new post Cold War era by nurturing 
     the business, labor, environmental and consumer dialogues we 
     have created. With the interesting integration of the U.S. 
     and the EU our economies, we must involve our private sectors 
     to help us resolve our differences, enhance our workers' 
     rights, and strengthen our environmental protections.
       U.S. policy on sanctions must be rationalized to better 
     balance costs and gains and to provide ample Presidential 
     discretion. It needs to recognize we have a monopoly on 
     virtually no product and so to be effective sanctions should 
     always try to be multilateral and include our European 
     allies. Sanctions should focus on rogue nations and those who 
     threaten our national interests, rather than on other 
     countries, including European, even if we disagree with their 
     policies toward those countries.
       The EU must not throw up artificial barriers to U.S. 
     products or delay implementation of WTO rulings--nor should 
     we. These actions create unnecessary tensions and divisions 
     and undermine respect for the institution we have created 
     together. So too we must show the world we fulfill our 
     obligations, for example, by paying our arrears to the United 
     Nations and other international institutions.
       There remains a vital bipartisan center in our country for 
     continued engagement in Europe and in the world, despite a 
     chorus of opposition from both sides of the political 
     spectrum. European partnership and burden sharing with the 
     U.S. can help nurture and strengthen a continued American 
     commitment to constructive engagement around the globe. 
     Indeed, the enlargement of the European Union is critical to 
     the achievement of the dream of President Clinton and 
     Secretary Albright of a Europe united across old East-west 
     divisions.
       I close with a personal note. I am proud of my country. It 
     is a selfless force for good and has done more than any 
     nation to better the lot of mankind in this century. I am 
     proud I could serve it--under Presidents Johnson, Carter, and 
     Clinton, and with Secretaries Christopher and Albright--over 
     the course of more than two decades, to return to this great 
     and good nation a small part of what it has given to me, to 
     my community, and to the world. And I am absolutely certain 
     that America's future in the new Millennium will be even 
     greater than its past.

     

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