|
Congressman Faleomavaega announced that at approximately 1:20 pm on Friday, October 22, 2010, the Honorable Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called Faleomavaega to inform him that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be stopping over in American Samoa on November 7, 2010, at the Congressman’s request.
“This stopover has been a long-time in the making,” Faleomavaega said, “and I appreciate that Secretary Clinton has chosen to refuel in American Samoa. On February 2, 2010, I wrote to President Obama asking him to stopover during his scheduled trip to Indonesia to say thank you to the thousands of Samoan men and women who currently serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, especially since the Iraq war death rate per 1 million population is higher for American Samoa than any other State or Territory, as reported by USA Today which commended American Samoa for its outsized sacrifice.”
“When the President’s trip was postponed, I had the opportunity to raise the issue again with Secretary Clinton when she testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on February 25, 2010. At our hearing, I informed Secretary Clinton that on February 23, 2010, I met with Assistant Secretary Campbell and that he let me know that she might be considering a stopover in American Samoa. ‘I can assure you,’ I said, ‘that our people will extend to you the same warm welcome that they would extend to President Obama, and we would be honored by your visit. Your presence in the Territory would be historic and, on behalf of our people, I would like to personally extend an invitation to you to make a brief visit as American Samoa is well-positioned to be a regional leader in our effort to strengthen U.S.-Pacific Island relations.”
“On March 3, 2010, when Assistant Secretary Campbell testified before my Subcommittee at a hearing on a regional overview of East Asia and the Pacific, I reminded him of the invitation that I extended to Secretary Clinton and again stated that I believed her visit would give her the chance to thank the thousands of Samoans who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and honor the many who have fallen in the line of duty, as well as support our efforts to strengthen U.S. interests in the region.”
“Last month, on September 29, 2010, when Assistant Secretary Campbell again testified before my Subcommittee at a hearing on renewed engagement and U.S. policy towards Pacific Island nations, I informed him that my invitation to Secretary Clinton still stands.”
“As a result of these repeated and continued discussions with the U.S. Department of State, I am pleased that Secretary Clinton made this request a high priority and that she will be stopping over to pay tribute to our veterans and our people. Though her visit will be brief and her arrival will be late at night, it is an honor for our Territory to receive her in conjunction with her travels to Hawaii, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Australia from October 27-November 8.”
“Secretary Clinton has been a good friend of American Samoa and Samoa, and more than anyone she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us to provide aid in the aftermath of the tsunami that left untold damage in its wake.”
“I am appreciative that Secretary Clinton authorized an airlift of supplies gathered by our Samoan communities in LA and Utah, and that she worked closely with Congresswoman Laura Richardson and me to see that these necessary goods were provided to our families and friends in the neighboring islands of Samoa at a time when they needed these critical supplies the most.”
“The U.S. Department of State informed my office that they contacted Governor Togiola’s office on Monday, October 25, 2010 to inform ASG of Secretary Clinton’s upcoming visit, and I have every confidence that our local leaders will do their part in welcoming the former First Lady of the United States to American Samoa.”
|
|
|
![[United States Congress]](/congress111th/20101210162458im_/http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/as00_faleomavaega/congress.gif)
