*EPF415 10/04/01
Text: Senate Passes Resolution Honoring Ambassador Peterson
(Praises his efforts as first U.S. ambassador to Hanoi) (760)
On the same day that the Senate passed a resolution creating normal trade relations with Vietnam, it also passed a resolution honoring the first U.S. ambassador to Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War.
The Senate October 3 passed by unanimous consent Senate Resolution 167 (S. Res. 167) hailing the work of former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson.
S. Res. 167 praised Peterson for playing "a critical role in the process of building a new and normal relationship between the United States and Vietnam."
The resolution said Peterson "worked tirelessly to encourage the Government of Vietnam to continue its efforts to reform and open Vietnam's economy."
Peterson, who was a prisoner-of-war for more than six years in North Vietnam, was commended for "his outstanding and dedicated service to the United States as United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 1997-2001, and for his historic role in normalizing United States-Vietnam relations."
Senator John McCain (Republican of Arizona), another former prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam War, introduced the resolution that had bipartisan support.
Following is the text:
(begin text)
SENATE RESOLUTION 167
RECOGNIZING AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS "PETE" PETERSON
FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES AS THE FIRST
AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM SINCE THE VIETNAM WAR
Senate
October 03, 2001
Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. KERRY, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. CLELAND, and Mr. CARPER) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 167
Whereas while serving as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, Pete Peterson was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 and captured by the Vietnamese military;
Whereas Pete Peterson was held for 6 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam;
Whereas after his return to the United States in 1973, Pete Peterson distinguished himself as a businessman and educator in his home State of Florida;
Whereas Pete Peterson was elected to Congress to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Florida in 1990 and went on to serve three terms;
Whereas Pete Peterson first returned to Vietnam in 1991 as a Member of Congress investigating Vietnamese progress on the POW/MIA issue;
Whereas President Reagan began the process of normalizing United States relations with Vietnam;
Whereas President Clinton lifted the trade embargo against Vietnam in 1994;
Whereas President Clinton normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995;
Whereas in 1997 Pete Peterson was appointed the first United States ambassador to Vietnam in 22 years;
Whereas throughout Pete Peterson's tenure as United States Ambassador to Vietnam, the President certified annually that the Government of Vietnam was "fully cooperating in good faith" with the United States to obtain the fullest possible accounting of Americans missing from the Vietnam War;
Whereas Ambassador Peterson played a critical role in the process of building a new and normal relationship between the United States and Vietnam;
Whereas Ambassador Peterson worked tirelessly to encourage the Government of Vietnam to continue its efforts to reform and open Vietnam's economy;
Whereas thanks to Ambassador Peterson's leadership, Congress in 1998 approved a waiver of the Jackson-Vanik restrictions for Vietnam, thus enabling the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Export-Import Bank to operate in Vietnam;
Whereas completion of a United States-Vietnam trade agreement was Ambassador Peterson's top trade priority;
Whereas the United States and Vietnam began negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement in 1996;
Whereas Ambassador Peterson's diplomatic efforts throughout the process of negotiation were invaluable to the completion of the bilateral trade agreement;
Whereas in the agreement the Government of Vietnam agreed to a wide range of steps to open its markets to American trade and investment;
Whereas the agreement will pave the way for further reform of Vietnam's economy and Vietnam's integration into the world economy;
Whereas Ambassador Peterson witnessed the signing of the United States-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement on July 13, 2000;
Whereas President Bush transmitted that trade agreement to Congress on June 8, 2001;
Whereas the United States House of Representatives approved the agreement on September 6, 2001; and
Whereas the United States Senate approved the agreement on October 3, 2001: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That Douglas "Pete" Peterson is recognized by the United States Senate for his outstanding and dedicated service to the United States as United States Ambassador to Vietnam from 1997-2001, and for his historic role in normalizing United States-Vietnam relations.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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