Durbin Welcomes Berlusconi to Washington
DURBIN WELCOMES BERLUSCONI TO WASHINGTON
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today welcomed Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to the Capitol to address a special joint session of Congress.
"The bonds between Americans and Italians are strong and enduring," Berlusconi told Congress. "I am convinced that they will continue to strengthen and that the United States will always find in Italy a partner nation with which it can share the same vision of the world."
"Prime Minister Berlusconi's address today underscores the importance of America having a strong working relationship with its allies," Durbin said. "We must work together and allow the values that Prime Minister Berlusconi talked about today, such as respect for human rights and the rule of law, to guide us into the future."
The United Nations forecasts that over the next 25 years, the world's population will increase to eight billion people. Approximately three-quarters of those people will be living in destitution. Berlusconi talked about the need for democracies to work together to help countries with high poverty rates.
"All of our efforts must therefore be directed at fostering the development of institutions that ensure good governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights and free market economies in those countries," Berlusconi said. "Only democracy can provide liberty. And only liberty can guarantee that individuals will be able to develop their talents, channel their energies, achieve their dreams and conquer prosperity. It is for these reasons that I am convinced that the task that lies ahead of us is to promote a culture of respect for human rights and its fundamental freedoms in all countries."
Durbin said that at one point in his address to the joint session of Congress, Berlusconi told the story of his father taking him to a cemetery for American soldiers who had died fighting in Italy during World War II. "The Prime Minister said that his father made him vow to never forget the sacrifice those young American soldiers made to conquer fascism and provide freedom for his country," Durbin said. "He told us he had never forgotten that moment and would never forget the price American families had paid to protect his family."
Durbin's guests for the joint session of Congress were Chicago restaurant executives Phil Stefani and Robert DiTuri.
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=252191&&