Legislature(2005 - 2006)BELTZ 211
05/05/2006 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Overview: U.s. Ambassador to Mongolia, | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
May 5, 2006
1:33 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Senator Bert Stedman, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Thomas Wagoner
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator Fred Dyson, Chair
Senator Lyda Green
Senator Kim Elton
Senator Donny Olson
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Senator Johnny Ellis
Senator Albert Kookesh
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator Gary Wilken, Vice Chair
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview Presentation: U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia, Pamela J.
MS. SLUTZ - "A Broader Partnership with Mongolia"
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Pamela J. Slutz, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia
Washington D.C.
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered Mongolia Overview
Lt. Colonel Mark Boor, Coordinator
American People of Mongolia
POSITION STATEMENT: Mongolia Overview Participant
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR FRED DYSON called the joint meeting of the Senate
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee and the Senate
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee to
order at 1:33:12 PM. Present from the Senate Community and
Regional Affairs Standing Committee were Senators Gary Stevens
and Chair Bert Stedman; Senator Thomas Wagoner arrived shortly
thereafter. Present from the Senate Health, Education and
Social Services Standing Committee were Senators Donny Olson,
Kim Elton and Chair Fred Dyson; Senator Lyda Green arrived
shortly thereafter. Also in attendance was Representative Peggy
Wilson.
^Overview: U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia,
Pamela J. Slutz - "A Broader Partnership with Mongolia"
1:33:45 PM
CHAIR DYSON announced the committees would hear an overview from
Pamela J. Slutz, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia.
SENATOR GREEN arrived at 1:34:29 PM.
PAMELA J. SLUTZ, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia, thanked members
and introduced Lt. Colonel Mark Boor. She related her
professional history with particular emphasis on her time spent
in Mongolia.
She explained that Mongolia is a democratic country that is
beginning to privatize its economy, which makes the pursuit of
future economic relationships particularly attractive. She
related that her purpose is to increase interest in Mongolia.
LT. COLONEL MARK BOOR, Alaska National Guard, explained that he
helped General Campbell initiate the Alaska-Mongolia State
Partnership Program, which has been a broad-spectrum non-combat
informational exchange. The relationship between the Alaska
National Guard and the Mongolian military is mature and
expansion of the partnership beyond the military is anticipated.
That is in keeping with the life cycle of the State Partnership
Program, which calls for bringing in civilian entities and
expanding the relationship once the military is engaged.
SENATOR WAGONER arrived at 1:38:19 PM.
LT. COLONEL BOOR related he and Ms. Slutz have visited
Fairbanks, Anchorage, and now Juneau to talk about cultural and
educational opportunities for the Mongolians. That will benefit
Alaska through increased trade and educational exchanges. He
opined that the Alaska-Mongolia relationship is strong and very
much appreciated by Mongolia.
CHAIR DYSON asked who supplied military hardware to Mongolia.
LT. COLONEL BOOR responded those programs are outside the State
Partnership Program.
MS. SLUTZ said the U.S. doesn't provide Mongolia much in the way
of hard equipment, but it has helped Mongolia become a UN-
qualified peacekeeping support unit that currently has
peacekeepers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sierra Leone. Members of
the officer corps are American-educated and a program to reform
their military and develop a non-commissioned officer corps is
underway.
She offered the following facts: the economy is based on mining
and livestock herding with a recent focus on rural development;
120 Peace Corps volunteers are in the country teaching English;
half the population is under the age of 20; and the country is
about the size of Alaska with a population of approximately 2.5
million. She suggested that the U.S. is competing with the
Russians and the Chinese for their hearts and minds, but for the
most part Mongolians would prefer a U.S. alignment.
1:43:05 PM
CHAIR DYSON asked about trade opportunities between Alaska and
Mongolia.
MS. SLUTZ replied Mongolia wants a free trade agreement with the
U.S. largely for textiles and apparel, which is controversial
and isn't likely to happen. She is encouraging American
companies to help Mongolia develop niche markets so it can sell
to China.
SENATOR THOMAS WAGONER remarked he was in China last fall and
his party was never allowed into rural areas, but he understands
it's quite primitive. He asked if the government structure is
the same in Mongolia.
MS. SLUTZ responded the government structure is very different.
She's free to travel anywhere. The government is a parliamentary
democracy and the elections are free and fair with peaceful
transfer of power. There is poverty in the rural areas but in
stark contrast to China, access isn't restricted.
SENATOR KIM ELTON asked if Alaska might be able to help with
programs addressing the issues of avian flu and global warming.
MS. SLUTZ replied any and all assistance would be welcome. Avian
flu has been found in some migratory birds so Mongolia is on the
State Department's watch list as a potential incubator. The
Alaska National Guard has been involved in several disaster
mitigation emergency preparedness exercises.
LT. COLONEL BOOR interjected the Mongolians have asked for help
and the National Guard has started to branch out with help from
emergency management and homeland security personnel.
SENATOR ELTON mentioned that people at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks have become very interested in global warming.
MS. SLUTZ said Mongolia has had drought conditions for the last
6 or 7 years and is facing desertification. The aquifers are
sinking and the permafrost is melting so there's a lot of
opportunity for collaboration.
1:48:11 PM
SENATOR ELTON agreed that Alaska has the same permafrost issues.
MS. SLUTZ said there are American companies that are currently
invested in Mongolia primarily in the services sector, but there
is a market for more information management systems. The other
area of interest would be environmental technology to deal with
mining impacts, water treatment, and air pollution. Mongolia
could certainly benefit from what Alaska already knows.
SENATOR DONNY OLSON mentioned Inner and Outer Mongolia and asked
about boarders in terms of geo-political problems and the
economy.
MS. SLUTZ informed members that Mongolia is celebrating the
800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol state when
Genghis Khan was crowned king of all the united Mongol tribes.
Now Mongolians are trying to reclaim their roots and identity.
Giving a little history she explained that modern Mongolia is
what was called Outer Mongolia before it declared independence
from China in July 1921. Then during the Sino-Soviet dispute
Mongolia sided with the Soviets. For all intents and purposes it
was independent but a satellite of the Soviet Union. It went
through glasnost and perestroika and by 1992, all the Russians
were gone and Mongolia drafted a new constitution.
Inner Mongolia is a province in China and although there are
Mongols that live in China they're regarded as Chinese rather
than Mongolian.
1:51:55 PM
CHAIR DYSON asked if the country is Muslim.
MS. SLUTZ said it's Tibetan Buddhist. They prefer to be
associated with the Koreans, they tolerate the Russians, and
they hate the Chinese. There's an ethnic linguistic cultural
connection to the Koreans, but it was a Warsaw Pact associate
and an East German associate. There is little contact with
central Asia because those are Muslim countries and were never
independent. It's a unique country with a unique language that's
spoken nowhere else. The U.S. views Mongolia as a democratic
rather than a strategic base and it's often cited as an example
of a successful democracy in a post communist transformation.
CHAIR DYSON asked what Alaska can do to help.
MS. SLUTZ said she'd like more people to visit Mongolia and a
sister-city relationship has been discussed between Fairbanks
and some Mongolian city.
CHAIR DYSON asked about the latitude.
MS. SLUTZ replied most of the country is below the 48th parallel
and it has a rather cold continental climate.
SENATOR WAGONER asked if there are service clubs in the country.
MS. SLUTZ replied about 600 Americans live in Mongolia and many
are missionaries. The country has eight Rotary clubs, something
akin to a Junior League, and a number of youth and community
development programs.
1:55:49 PM
CHAIR DYSON mentioned that the committee was going to consider a
resolution in support of Taiwan being an observer at the World
Health Assembly. He noted that Ms. Slutz had served in Taiwan
for a number of years and asked if it would be a good idea.
MS. SLUTZ replied the World Health Assembly considers this issue
every year and for the last several years the U.S. government
has supported Taiwan being an observer.
LT. COLONEL BOOR introduced Major Steve Wilson as his
replacement.
CHAIR DYSON thanked the participants and he and CHAIR STEDMAN
adjourned the joint meeting at 1:57:27 PM.
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