[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 170 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H12468-H12469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE 
                         REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 236) recognizing the close 
relationship between the United States and the Republic of San Marino, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 236

       Whereas the Republic of San Marino is the oldest republic 
     in the world;
       Whereas the Republic of San Marino was founded by those 
     fleeing the religious persecution of the Roman Empire, and 
     has adhered to the principles of tolerance and individual 
     liberty throughout its history;
       Whereas the United States and the Republic of San Marino 
     have long held close ties based on common interests and 
     common values;
       Whereas the special bond between the Republic of San Marino 
     and the United States was first expressed nearly a century 
     and a half ago in an exchange of letters between President 
     Abraham Lincoln and the Captains Regent of San Marino;
       Whereas President Lincoln expressed in his letter his deep 
     respect for the Republic of San Marino as ``one of the most 
     honored in all of history'' and took encouragement from its 
     example that a ``government founded on republican principles 
     is capable of being so administered as to be secure and 
     enduring'';
       Whereas the Republic of San Marino has been a steadfast 
     ally of the United States in many international 
     organizations, such as the United Nations and the 
     International Monetary Fund;
       Whereas the Republic of San Marino has been a close 
     collaborator on a number of key economic issues, such as the 
     protection of intellectual property;
       Whereas the Republic of San Marino has been a close 
     collaborator in the fight against terrorism, including 
     efforts to combat international terrorist financing;
       Whereas through its chairmanship of the Committee of 
     Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Republic of San 
     Marino has worked to promote inter-religious and inter-
     cultural dialogue;
       Whereas earlier this year, the United States and the 
     Republic of San Marino upgraded their diplomatic relations to 
     ambassador-level, and exchanged the first bilateral 
     Ambassadors in our history;
       Whereas Paolo Rondelli, the first Ambassador Extraordinary 
     and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of San Marino to the 
     United States, presented his credentials to President Bush at 
     a ceremony at the White House on July 25, 2007; and
       Whereas the Honorable Ronald P. Spogli presented 
     credentials to the Captains Regent (co-Heads of State) in a 
     ceremony in San Marino's Palazzo Publico on March 8, 2007: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the close relationship between the United 
     States and the Republic of San Marino;
       (2) expresses its deep gratitude to the Republic of San 
     Marino for its close collaboration and support in issues of 
     critical importance to our economic and national security 
     interests; and
       (3) commemorates the first bilateral exchange of 
     Ambassadors in the history of our long relationship.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I would like to thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Dreier), for introducing this resolution that 
recognizes a small but important friend of the United States.
  It is often said, Mr. Speaker, that good things come in small 
packages, and in the case of San Marino, this is certainly true. San 
Marino is the third smallest country in Europe, only Vatican City and 
Monaco being smaller.
  San Marino, which is home to 29,000 inhabitants in a territory one-
third the size of the District of Columbia, attracts several million 
visitors a year. The tourist industry makes up over 50 percent of the 
country's GDP.
  San Marino is said to be the oldest republic in the world. It was 
founded in 301 A.D. by Marinus of Rab, a Christian fleeing from 
religious persecution by the Roman Emperor.
  Its constitution, which dates back to 1600, is the world's oldest 
written constitution, and remains in effect to this day.
  San Marino has been an active player at the international level, 
including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and Council 
of Europe. Through these bodies, San Marino has sought to promote 
interreligious and intercultural dialogue, as well as the protection of 
intellectual property.
  San Marino has also cultivated a close friendship with the United 
States based on our shared values and interests. This relationship was 
first expressed when President Abraham Lincoln exchanged letters with 
the Captains Regent of San Marino.
  Nearly 150 years after these letters were sent, the United States and 
San Marino upgraded their bilateral relations to include the first ever 
exchange of ambassadors. President Bush welcomed San Marino's new 
Ambassador, Paulo Rondelli, during a White House ceremony on July 25. 
U.S. Ambassador Ronald Spogli presented his credentials to the Captains 
Regent in San Marino's Palazzo Publico on March 8. I welcome this 
development in our bilateral relations, and look forward to ever closer 
cooperation with our European ally.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution which 
recognizes the close relationship between our two countries, expresses 
gratitude to San Marino for its friendship and support, and 
commemorates the first ever exchange of ambassadors.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let's take a moment to recognize an ally whose 
relationship with the United States certainly exceeds its size. 
Completely surrounded by Italy, the European microstate of San Marino 
has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of 
Europe. Yet, San Marino has made a strong ally of the United States, 
most notably within a number of international institutions, including 
the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. In fact, the 
U.S. and San Marino have collaborated closely on several key issues 
such as combating international terrorist financing and protecting 
intellectual property rights.
  Moreover, San Marino has been a leader in promoting interreligious 
and intercultural dialogue within the European Union. The value of our 
relationship was marked earlier this year by the first exchange of 
ambassadors between the U.S. and San Marino.
  I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting Ranking 
Member Dreier's H. Con. Res. 236, recognizing our close relationship 
with the Republic of San Marino.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the author of this resolution, 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) such time as he may consume.
  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. 
Boozman), for their very thoughtful remarks on this resolution.
  I also want to join in expressing my appreciation to my fellow 
Californian, the distinguished Chair of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, Mr. Lantos and, of course, the ranking Republican, Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen.

                              {time}  1500

  I think both of the sets of remarks offered underscore something that 
is extraordinarily important, and that is that we thank and express our 
appreciation to our allies, no matter how

[[Page H12469]]

large or how small their populations, in dealing with the challenges 
that we face internationally.
  But I will say I have a particular interest in the world's oldest 
republic because I am privileged to represent its namesake, the City of 
San Marino, California.
  I had the privilege, Mr. Speaker, of leading the first bipartisan 
delegation to what, as my friend from New York correctly said, is the 
oldest republic on the face of the Earth, and we took this delegation 
back in 2004 to the Republic of San Marino. I had the opportunity to 
present to the Captains Regent, as was said, the co-heads of their 
state, of their government, a proclamation passed by the San Marino 
City Council expressing its greetings and appreciation for the 
friendship that they share.
  San Marino, California, was named at its founding for the republic on 
the Adriatic Sea and displays in its seal Mount Titano, where the 
republic was first established. Today, like its namesake, San Marino, 
California, is known for its beauty. It is home to the Huntington 
Library and Gardens, one of Southern California's great treasures. But 
the relationship with the Republic of San Marino reaches far beyond 
beauty. It's my hope that this resolution will help to make us all more 
aware of the great bond the United States shares with this small, but 
very important, country.
  The Republic of San Marino, as was said, was founded over 17 
centuries ago by those who were fleeing the religious persecution of 
the Roman Empire. They founded a community based on liberty and 
tolerance 1,300 years before the Pilgrims would land on Plymouth Rock 
on a similar endeavor. Since those early days of the republic, San 
Marino has continued its strong tradition of democracy and freedom.
  Our close bond, based on a shared commitment to these principles, was 
first, as my friend from New York said, recorded in history through an 
exchange of letters between President Lincoln and the Captains Regent. 
President Lincoln expressed in that letter his deep respect for the 
Republic of San Marino, saying, ``as one of the most honored in all of 
world history.''
  Mr. Speaker, he took encouragement from its example that any 
``government founded on republican principles is capable of being so 
administered as to be secure and enduring.'' Those are the words of 
President Lincoln. Now, as our Nation faced a great crisis, Lincoln 
looked to the example of San Marino, which had endured for so long 
while standing with its small ``r'' republican foundation.
  As the United States has faced new crises in the 20th and 21st 
centuries, it has again relied upon San Marino for its steadfast 
support within international institutions such as the United Nations. 
San Marino has been a close collaborator on a number of critical issues 
like combating international terrorist financing. This year we have 
honored their friendship and support, as was said, by elevating our 
relationship to the ambassadorial level.
  My good friend and fellow Californian Ron Spogli, as the first U.S. 
Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino, presented his credentials to 
the Captains Regent in a ceremony in San Marino's Palazzo Publico on 
March 8 of 2007. And as my friend from New York said, the exchange was 
completed when on July 25 of this year, Paolo Rondelli, the first 
Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to the United States, 
presented his credentials to President Bush at the White House.
  Mr. Speaker, today we honor this exchange of ambassadors, and we 
honor the close relationship between our Nation and the world's oldest 
republic and the fundamental values that bind us.
  And, again, I thank my colleagues for their support of this 
resolution.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of Congressman Dreier's 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 236, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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