[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14283-14285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 410) recognizing the 25th 
anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands and recognizing the Marshall Islands as a staunch ally 
of the United States, committed to principles of democracy and freedom 
for the Pacific region and throughout the world, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 410

       Whereas the Marshall Islands were ruled under a succession 
     of colonial regimes, including under Spanish and German rule, 
     followed in the 20th century by Japanese rule under the 
     League of Nations system for governance of territories;
       Whereas military activities of Imperial Japan based in the 
     Marshall Islands before and during Word War II established 
     the strategic importance of the Marshall Islands in the 
     Pacific;
       Whereas the Marshall Islands were liberated from Japanese 
     military occupation in some of the most horrific battles of 
     World War II, during which brave Marshallese people risked 
     their lives to aid the Armed Forces of the United States and 
     its allies;
       Whereas in 1947 Congress approved a trusteeship agreement 
     with the United Nations Security Council under which the 
     United States became the administering power with plenary 
     powers of government in the Marshall Islands;
       Whereas during the United Nations trusteeship period the 
     United States fulfilled its commitment to promote the 
     progress of the Marshall Islands toward democratic self-
     government and self-determination, leading to the 
     establishment of local self-government that culminated in a 
     constitutional convention in which delegates representing the 
     people of the Marshall Islands proposed that they be 
     constituted as a self-governing nation;
       Whereas in accordance with the enabling measures adopted by 
     the United States as administering power of the Marshall 
     Islands, which encouraged and fully supported the emergence 
     of the Marshall Islands as a duly constituted nation based on 
     the freely expressed will of the people, in 1979 the people 
     of the Marshall Islands adopted their own constitution and 
     subsequently declared their form of government to be a 
     republic;
       Whereas the Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall 
     Islands established a parliamentary governmental system with 
     separation of powers and a ``Bill of Rights,'' guaranteeing 
     democracy and freedom for the Marshallese people based on the 
     rule of law, limited government, and individual liberty;
       Whereas the United States and the duly constituted 
     Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands adopted a 
     Compact of Free Association to define government-to-
     government relations between the United States and the 
     Marshall Islands as two sovereign nations under mutually 
     agreed terms upon termination of the United Nations 
     trusteeship for the Marshall Islands;
       Whereas the promulgation of a national constitution made 
     possible the termination of the United Nations trusteeship in 
     1986 and the emergence of the Republic of the Marshall 
     Islands as a sovereign nation in free association with the 
     United States under the Compact of Free Association, forming 
     an alliance that preserves the close and special political, 
     social, economic, and military relationship between the two 
     countries that developed during the trusteeship period;
       Whereas the United States has no closer alliance with any 
     nation or group of nations than it does with the Republic of 
     the Marshall Islands under the Compact of Free Association, 
     which continues the strategic partnership and role of the 
     Marshall Islands in United States strategic programs based in 
     the Marshall Islands, which began at the end of World War II 
     and has continued under the trusteeship and Compact to 
     promote the mutual security of the United States and the 
     Marshall Islands;
       Whereas the Republic of the Marshall Islands is a model for 
     transition of formerly non-self-governing territory ravaged 
     by war to a sovereign political status as a stable democracy, 
     a success story for institution building and recovery from 
     conflict not only for the Pacific region but throughout the 
     world;
       Whereas in light of the shared history of the United States 
     and the Republic of the Marshall Islands and special 
     relations under the Compact of Free Association, it is 
     entirely fitting for Congress to recognize the 25th 
     anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the 
     Republic of the Marshall Islands, recalling the importance of 
     duly constituted self-government in the self-determination 
     process leading to national sovereignty for the Marshall 
     Islands; and
       Whereas the Republic of the Marshall Islands has remained 
     one of the staunchest allies of the United States during the 
     cold war and the war on terrorism, and the voting record of 
     the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a member state in the 
     United Nations General Assembly is unparalleled by any other 
     country, further demonstrating the shared commitment of the 
     two nations to promote democracy and global peace: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the 
     Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and
       (2) recognizes the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a 
     staunch ally of the United

[[Page 14284]]

     States, committed to principles of democracy and freedom for 
     the Pacific region and throughout the world.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Flake) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).


                             General Leave

  Mr. FLAKE. 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 concurrent resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States and the Marshall Islands share deep 
bonds of history and friendship. We have enjoyed the uniquely close 
alliance over the past half century. The ties between us stretch back 
to World War II when we struggled together to liberate the Marshall 
Islands from Japanese occupation.
  During the intervening decades, these bonds of blood have grown into 
an abiding alliance. The Congress reaffirmed that alliance late last 
year when we approved the amended Compact of Free Association between 
the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which 
extended the strategic and economic ties between our two countries.
  When the Marshallese people adopted their Constitution in 1979, they 
formed a democratic government, committed to the rule of law and 
individual liberty. It was a critical development in their transition 
from the U.S.-administered trust territory into a sovereign independent 
nation.
  The people of the United States saw our shared ideals of freedom and 
democracy take root among our friends in the Pacific; and when full 
sovereignty followed in 1986, we gained a stalwart ally in the 
community of nations.
  I commend this effort to commemorate that event and our continuing 
alliance with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, which deserves our 
unanimous support.
  Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity a couple of times now to 
visit the Marshall Islands, once years ago and again this January, and 
to be able to visit with President Note and other members of the 
Parliament and other ministers as well and to visit a couple of the 
islands and to witness the friendship firsthand with the Marshallese 
people.
  It is significant to note that nearly a hundred Marshallese citizens 
have actually been serving with our Armed Forces in Iraq and other 
theatres of war. They have been a very staunch ally of ours, and I 
think it is also significant to note that in the United Nations, the 
United States has no better friend and ally than the Marshallese. The 
Marshall Islands votes with the United States 99 percent of the time. 
That is something that is not shared with any other country or nation. 
So we owe a debt of gratitude to the Marshallese people; and to 
recognize them for the adoption of their Constitution 25 years ago, I 
think, is a significant step. It means a lot to them, and it should 
mean a lot to us.
  There is also another reason that it is important that we recognize 
the Marshall Islands for what they do and have done for us in the past. 
Our nuclear testing dates back to the 1950s when we did Operation Bravo 
and in other operations where we tested nuclear devices, and the 
Marshallese people have cooperated and helped us in that regard for 
over a half century; and for that we owe a debt of gratitude.
  From the military base at Kwajalein, I was able to see our base there 
and see what we are currently doing today; and it is a great operation 
there, and we have the full cooperation of the Marshallese, which makes 
it much easier to accomplish what we need to.
  They have been a stable democracy in the Pacific for over 25 years, 
and this is due in part to the fact that the United States during the 
U.N. trusteeship period fulfilled its commitment to promote democratic 
self-government and self-determination for the Marshall Islands. These 
efforts led to the establishment of local self-government, and this 
culminated in a constitutional convention in which delegates 
representing the people of the Marshall Islands proposed that they be 
constituted as a self-governing nation.
  This happened, and in 1979 the people of the Marshall Islands adopted 
their own Constitution and declared themselves a republic. This 
Constitution established a parliamentary governmental system with 
separation of powers and a bill of rights guaranteeing democracy, 
freedom, and limited government for the Marshallese people.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and would 
first like to commend my colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Flake), for introducing this important measure as well as the gentleman 
from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), and the ranking member, the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lantos), for their strong support for this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 410 recognizes the 25th 
anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands. Given the extremely close bilateral relationship 
between our two nations and the important role played by the people of 
the Marshall Islands in our Nation's victory in World War II, it is 
appropriate that we commemorate this important day in the history of 
the Marshall Islands.
  The United States has no greater friend in the Western Pacific than 
the government of the Marshall Islands. The United States maintains an 
important military facility at Kwajalein Atoll, and young Marshallese 
men and women serve in the United States Armed Forces. The Marshall 
Islands has been a strong supporter of American policy at the United 
Nations and a good friend to an embattled ally of the United States, 
the State of Israel.
  The Marshall Islands is also a strong and flourishing democracy, 
having recently completed free and fair elections in 2003 for its 
legislature. In fact, Members of Congress welcomed Marshallese 
President Kessai Note to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago. President 
Note discussed the future of relations between the United States and 
the Marshall Islands and the need for the U.S. Congress to carefully 
examine the Changed Circumstances Petition submitted by the Marshall 
Islands.
  In short, Mr. Speaker, the Marshall Islands is a strong, democratic 
ally of the United States and a strategically important position. We 
must do all we can to further solidify relations between our two 
nations.
  I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 410.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Watson).
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, it brings me a great deal of fulfillment and joy to 
recognize the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Given the extremely close 
bilateral relationship between our two nations, and the important role 
played by the people of the Marshall Islands in our Nation's victory in 
World War II, it is appropriate that we commemorate this important day 
in the history of the Marshall Islands.
  On the personal side, I had the pleasure to be the Ambassador to 
Micronesia. As you know, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are right 
in the same region, and the islands of Micronesia are under a Compact 
of Mutual Agreement, as are the Marshall Islands. As they work their 
way into the 21st century, it is with our support as they build their 
democracy in islands that are thousands of miles away. We can be proud 
of the relationship we have had with them for the past 20 years as they 
build their nations into a brighter, more prosperous future.

[[Page 14285]]


  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments and just to say 
again that we had the opportunity, myself and the gentleman from 
California (Chairman Pombo) of the Committee on Resources, to travel 
with Secretary Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, to the Marshall 
Islands earlier this year, and were able to meet with the President and 
others. I know they appreciate this gesture, and we have no greater 
friend than the Marshall Islands.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. 
Con. Res. 410, to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Constitution of 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands and that the Marshall Islands is a 
staunch ally of the United States. I want to begin by commending my 
friend, the Gentleman from Arizona Mr. Flake, for his leadership in 
introducing this worthwhile resolution of which I am an original 
cosponsor.
  The Republic of the Marshall Islands suffered for 400 years under the 
colonial regimes of Spain and Germany. In the 20th century, under the 
League of Nations system for governance of territories, Japan governed 
the Marshall Islands. During World War II, the Marshall Islands were 
liberated from Japanese rule through the cooperation between the 
Marshallese people and the Armed Forces of the United States.
  In a 1947 agreement between Congress and the United Nations Security 
Council, the United States assumed trusteeship of the Marshall Islands. 
During the period from 1947 to 1979, the United States promoted 
democratic self-government and self-determination in the Marshall 
Islands. In 1979, the Marshall Islands adopted their own constitution 
and declared themselves the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
  Since that time, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has proved 
itself a staunch ally of the United States and a model for transition 
from a non-self-governing territory ravaged by war to a stable and 
democratic example of institution building for the Pacific region and 
the rest of the world.
  On June 17, 2004, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
Kessai Note wrote to U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka expressing his continued 
concern for the people of Ailuk Atoll near which the United States 
tested the thermonuclear weapon Bravo in 1954. The people of Ailuk and 
others still suffer from the fallout of those tests. I support 
President Note in his desire to have the people of Ailuk receive the 
support and assistance they badly need.
  Mr. Speaker, this is worthy resolution, which is deserving of all our 
support and I urge all my colleagues to support its passage. And I look 
forward to the continued friendship of the United States and the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
25th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands, and to pay tribute to a staunch ally of the 
United States and a people committed to the principles of democracy and 
freedom for all people of the Pacific region and the world.
  It is perhaps fitting that on May 29, 2004, America dedicated the 
National World War II Memorial in recognition of the duty, sacrifices, 
and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who 
served in World War II. The beginnings of our Nation's close 
relationship with the people of the Marshall Islands are deeply rooted 
in that titanic struggle. In 1944, risking their lives to aid the Armed 
Forces of the United States and our Allies, the Marshallese people 
joined with the U.S. to liberate the Marshall Islands from Japanese 
military rule. Some of the most horrific battles of World War II 
occurred on the Marshall Islands before the Japanese military 
occupation was finally put to an end. The momentous events brought 
together the people of these two great lands in a common bond that has 
resulted in more than five decades of friendship and strategic 
solidarity between the Marshall Islands and the U.S. That relationship 
is as strong today as it ever was.
  Comprising 30 atolls and 1,152 islands, the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands represents a total land mass that is almost equivalent in size 
to Washington, D.C., but covers roughly 770,000 square miles of the 
western Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, due to the vastness of the 
world's largest ocean, and the distance between us, the culture, 
history, and people of the Marshall Islands are largely unknown to most 
Americans, except perhaps as the place where the United States tested 
more than 67 nuclear weapons during the development of our Nation's 
strategic arsenal. Although that testing left a legacy that we continue 
to address to this day, it would prove critical to the success of our 
country during the Cold War.
  The United States nuclear testing program put the people of these 
remote islands on the front line in the Cold War struggle to preserve 
international peace, promote nuclear disarmament, support nuclear 
nonproliferation, and provide facilities critical to the development of 
a deployable missile defense system. The hardships and suffering 
endured by Marshall Island citizens during the testing program directly 
contributed to the positive and peaceful end to the Cold War. Their 
importance to the emergence of democracy across the globe cannot be 
understated. The people of the United States, and indeed the entire 
Free World, owe the people of the Marshall Islands an enormous debt of 
gratitude for their sacrifices.
  The Republic of the Marshall Islands has an unmatched record of 
working in conjunction with the United States in the pursuit of 
international peace and security, the rights and well-being of the 
peoples of the world, and in the War on Terror. I have been fortunate 
to have many great friends who hail from the Marshall Islands, and I 
will never forget the openness and kindness with which I was received. 
I congratulate the people of the Marshall Islands on the 25th 
Anniversary of their Constitution; and I commend them for the undying 
commitment to democracy and freedom. The United States is fortunate to 
have such a loyal friend and ally in the Pacific region. I look forward 
to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between our two great 
Nations for many more years to come.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, throughout my tenure in Congress, I 
have worked closely with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) on 
many issues arising in the Pacific region. The RMI has always been, and 
continues to be, a great ally of the United States and is dedicated to 
international peace and freedom. Therefore, I rise today in support of 
H. Con. Res. 410.
  By the beginning of the 1900's, the RMI was annexed by Spain, 
Germany, and Japan. In 1934, the Allied invasion and occupation of the 
RMI began. In 1947, the RMI became one of six entities in the Trust 
Territory of the Pacific Islands established by the United Nations with 
the United States as the Trustee. Throughout all these years of being 
occupied, the people of RMI never lost their self-identity or hope for 
their own country. This hope grew in the decades after World War II as 
a local form of self-government was established. This led to the 
convening of a constitutional convention.
  In 1979, the people of the RMI adopted a constitution and chose their 
form of government, a republic. With separation of powers and a Bill of 
Rights listing guaranteed rights, the RMI is based on the same 
principals and freedoms that the United States was founded on hundreds 
of years ago. Similar to our founding, it was the will of the people 
driving the process and making the decisions.
  The RMI is now a sovereign nation. As a sovereign nation, the RMI has 
aligned itself closely with the U.S., particularly in a number of 
defense and strategic issues. Recently, we have renewed our mutually 
beneficial relationship by reauthorizing the Compact of Free 
Association. This has guaranteed that our alliance will continue for 
another 15 years.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution and 
recognize the 25th anniversary of the adoption of RMI's constitution. 
Their commitment and dedication to peace and democracy should be 
commended.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
410, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. FLAKE. 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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