[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 151 (Wednesday, November 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONGRATULATING PEOPLE OF BRAZIL ON FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 365 submitted earlier today by 
Senators Chafee and Dodd.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 365) congratulating the people of 
     Brazil on the completion of peaceful, free and fair elections 
     in Brazil and the election of President da Silva.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be 
agreed to en bloc; the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en 
bloc, and any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, 
with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 365) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 365), with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 365

       Whereas, in October 2002, the people of Brazil completed 
     peaceful, free, and fair elections of a President and other 
     officials of their country;
       Whereas Luiz Inacio ``Lula'' da Silva, candidate of 
     Brazil's Worker's Party, was elected President of Brazil on 
     October 27, 2002, receiving 52,793,364 votes, representing 
     61.27 percent of the votes cast;
       Whereas Brazil utilized a new nationwide computerized 
     voting system, which enabled the tallying of approximately 
     100,000,000 votes in less than 10 hours, including votes cast 
     in areas that are accessible only by boat or plane;
       Whereas Brazil has a population of 174,500,000, making it 
     the eighth most populous nation in the world and the most 
     populous nation in Latin America;
       Whereas Brazil's diversified economy is the eighth largest 
     in the world, and Brazil's gross domestic product, which was 
     $540,000,000,000 in 2001, is the largest in Latin America;
       Whereas Brazil plays a critical regional leadership role in 
     Latin America within the Organization of American States, the 
     Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (commonly 
     known as the ``Rio Treaty''), the Latin American Integration 
     Association, and Mercosur/Mercosul (Southern Common Market), 
     and is one of the guarantors of the Peru-Ecuador peace 
     process;
       Whereas Brazil has been a member of the United Nations 
     Security Council four times, most recently from 1998 through 
     2000, has contributed troops to several United Nations 
     peacekeeping missions, and is an active participant in 
     international cooperation and commerce as a party to numerous 
     international treaties and conventions;
       Whereas the economic relationship between Brazil and the 
     United States is substantial and growing, with United States 
     direct foreign investment increasing from less than 
     $19,000,000,000 in 1994 to an estimated $35,000,000,000 in 
     2000, United States exports to Brazil increasing from 
     $8,100,000,000 in 1994 to $15,900,000,000 in 2001, and United 
     States imports from Brazil increasing from $8,700,000,000 in 
     1994 to $14,500,000,000 in 2001;
       Whereas Brazil will play a critical role in the continuing 
     negotiations related to the creation of a Free Trade Area of 
     the Americans, which the United States and Brazil will co-
     chair during the next two years;
       Whereas the United States and Brazil have a long history of 
     friendly relations beginning when the United States became 
     the first country to recognize Brazil's independence in 1822;
       Whereas Brazil led the parties to the Inter-American Treaty 
     of Reciprocal Assistance in stating on September 11, 2001, 
     that the attacks on the United States on that date were 
     attacks on all American States;
       Whereas there are an estimated 50,000 United States 
     citizens residing in Brazil, and some 150,000 United States 
     citizens visit Brazil each year;
       Whereas the United States and Brazil have entered into many 
     agreements together, including the Education Partnership 
     Agreement, the Technical Safeguards Agreement, the Common 
     Agenda on the Environment, and agreements to cooperate in 
     matters relating to energy, the international space station, 
     national parks, and government reform; and
       Whereas cooperation between the United States and Brazil on 
     several counter-narcotics efforts, including the United 
     States training of Brazilian counter-narcotics agents and 
     Operation Cobra in northern Brazil, has increased 
     significantly in recent years: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the people of Brazil on successfully 
     completing peaceful, free, and fair elections on October 6, 
     2002, and October 22, 2002;
       (2) congratulates President-elect Luiz Inacio ``Lula'' da 
     Silva on his electoral victory and welcomes him as a 
     democratic partner in the numerous bilateral and multilateral 
     efforts to which the United States and Brazil are parties;
       (3) endorses President Bush's invitation of President-elect 
     da Silva to Washington, District of Columbia, which will 
     result in a meeting between the two leaders on December 10, 
     2002;
       (4) urges President Bush and President-elect da Silva to 
     pursue policies on economic, security, drug enforcement, and 
     other matters of mutual interest to Brazil and the United 
     States that will continue to strengthen the relationship 
     between the people and governments of the two countries; and
       (5) pledges the Senate's continued support for a strong and 
     friendly economic, political, and cultural relationship 
     between the United States and Brazil based on shared values.

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