November 20, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10775 

(8) urges the President to sustain highlevel diplomatic engagement together with 

the African Union, the European Union, and 

the United Nations to avert a wider regional 

war and revive a comprehensive peace process in eastern Congo; 

(9) urges the United States and the international community to develop and support 

monitoring and verification mechanisms 

that can hold the parties in Congo accountable to the signed peace agreements, investigate alleged ceasefire violations, and ultimately challenge the continued culture of 

impunity in Congo; and 

(10) urges the President and the international community to adopt measures to 

help the regional governments to identify 

and ultimately address the factors underlying the conflict in eastern Congo, especially weak governance and the exploitation 

of the region’s lucrative minerals. 

f 

HONORING THE FIREFIGHTERS 

AND EMERGENCY WORKERS IN 

CALIFORNIA IN 2008 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the Senate 

proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 714, which was submitted earlier today by Senator BOXER. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will report the resolution by 

title. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

A resolution (S. Res. 714) honoring the firefighters and emergency workers who courageously fought fires in California in 2008. 

There being no objection, the Senate 

proceeded to consider the resolution. 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the resolution 

be agreed to, the preamble be agreed 

to, the motions to reconsider be laid 

upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the resolution be 

printed in the RECORD at the appropriate place as if read. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The resolution (S. Res. 714) was 

agreed to. 

The preamble was agreed to. 

The resolution, with its preamble, 

reads as follows: 

S. RES. 714 

Whereas, in 2008, there have been more 

than 10,000 wildfires in California started by 

natural causes and human activity; 

Whereas more than 1,440,000 acres of Federal, State, and local land in California 

burned in 2008; 

Whereas, in June 2008, fires started by 

lightning strikes burned approximately 

1,200,000 acres of Federal, State, and local 

land in California, making the June fires the 

largest single wildfire event in California’s 

recorded history; 

Whereas 41 counties across California were 

impacted by wildfires in 2008; 

Whereas more than 1,400 homes were destroyed by fires in California in 2008; 

Whereas State and local firefighters have 

been called to duty for increasingly long fire 

seasons, working on the front lines of these 

fires for weeks; 

Whereas firefighters have risked their lives 

and endured great hardship to protect lives, 

property, and the environment in California; 

Whereas many firefighters were injured 

and 14 firefighters tragically lost their lives 

in California in 2008; 

Whereas 25,000 firefighters and emergency 

response personnel from California, 41 other 

States, and other nations worked side-byside to fight the wildfires; 

Whereas members of the National Guard 

from California and other States provided essential support to the firefighting effort; and 

Whereas the people of California and the 

United States recognize the steadfast dedication of the firefighters throughout the ongoing fire suppression and subsequent repair 

and rebuilding efforts: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) commends the firefighters and emergency workers from California, 41 other 

States, and other nations for their courageous actions and sacrifices in fighting 

wildfires in California; 

(2) supports the continued work of firefighters to protect National Forest System 

land, other public lands, and private property from further damage; 

(3) praises the people of California for their 

great courage in the face of the fires; and 

(4) extends heartfelt sympathy to the people who have lost loved ones, homes, and 

businesses in the wildfires. 

f 

SENATE NATIONAL SECURITY 

WORKING GROUP 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the Senate 

proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 715, submitted earlier 

today. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The 

clerk will report the resolution by 

title. 

The legislative clerk read as follows: 

A resolution (S. Res. 715) extending the authority for the Senate National Security 

Working Group. 

There being no objection, the Senate 

proceeded to consider the resolution. 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask 

unanimous consent that the resolution 

be agreed to, the motion to reconsider 

be laid upon the table, and that any 

statements relating to the resolutione 

be printed in the RECORD, without further intervening action or debate. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The resolution (S. Res. 715) was 

agreed to, as follows: 

S. RES. 715 

Resolved, That Senate Resolution 105 of the 

One Hundred First Congress, 1st session 

(agreed to on April 13, 1989), as amended by 

Senate Resolution 149 of the One Hundred 

Third Congress, 1st session (agreed to on October 5, 1993), as further amended by Senate 

Resolution 75 of the One Hundred Sixth Congress, 1st session (agreed to on March 25, 

1999), as further amended by Senate Resolution 383 of the One Hundred Sixth Congress, 

2d session (agreed to on October 27, 2000), as 

further amended by Senate Resolution 355 of 

the One Hundred Seventh Congress, 2d session (agreed to on November 13, 2002), as further amended by Senate Resolution 480 of 

the One Hundred Eighth Congress, 2d session 

(agreed to November 20, 2004), and as further 

amended by Senate Resolution 625 of the One 

Hundred Ninth Congress, 2d Session (agreed 

to on December 6, 2006), is further amended 

in section 4 by striking ‘‘2008’’ and inserting 

‘‘2010’’. 

REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY—TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 

110–23 

Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, as in 

executive session, I ask unanimous 

consent that the injunction of secrecy 

be removed from the following treaty 

transmitted to the Senate on November 20, 2008, by the President of the 

United States: Investment Treaty with 

Rwanda, Treaty Document No. 110–23. I 

further ask unanimous consent that 

the treaty be considered as having been 

read the first time; that it be referred, 

with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the President’s message be printed in the 

RECORD. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without 

objection, it is so ordered. 

The message of the President is as 

follows: 

To the Senate of the United States: 

I transmit herewith, with a view to 

receiving the advice and consent of the 

Senate to ratification, the Treaty between the Government of the United 

States of America and the Government 

of the Republic of Rwanda Concerning 

the Encouragement and Reciprocal 

Protection of Investment, signed at 

Kigali on February 19, 2008. I transmit 

also, for the information of the Senate, 

the report prepared by the Department 

of State with respect to the Treaty. 

This is the first bilateral investment 

treaty (BIT) concluded between the 

United States and a sub-Saharan African country since 1998. The Treaty will 

help to promote cross-border investment by providing legal protections for 

investors of each country for their investments in the other country. The 

Treaty underscores the shared commitment of both countries to open investment and trade policies. 

Rwanda has opened its economy, improved its business climate, and embraced trade and investment as a 

means to boost economic development 

and help alleviate poverty. The U.S.- 

Rwanda BIT will reinforce these efforts. 

The Treaty is fully consistent with 

U.S. policy to secure protections for 

U.S. investment abroad and to welcome 

foreign investment in the United 

States. Under this Treaty, the Parties 

agree to accord national treatment and 

most-favored nation treatment to investments. They also agree to customary international law standards for 

expropriation and for the minimum 

standard of treatment. The Treaty includes detailed provisions regarding 

the payment of prompt, adequate, and 

effective compensation in the event of 

expropriation; free transfer of funds related to investment; freedom of investment from specified performance requirements; prohibitions on nationality based restrictions for the hiring 

of senior managers; and the opportunity for investors to resolve disputes 

with a host government through international arbitration. The Treaty also 


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