[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 361 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 361

                   Commending the Republic of Benin.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 22, 2000

Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Burton of Indiana, and Mr. Hall of Ohio) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
                   Commending the Republic of Benin.

Whereas in 1990 the Republic of Benin made a smooth transition from Marxist rule 
        to a constitutional democracy;
Whereas His Excellency President Mathieu Kerekou established an important 
        precedent and demonstrated his commitment to democracy by relinquishing 
        office after the first democratic elections in the Republic of Benin in 
        1991;
Whereas President Kerekou regained the Office of the Presidency through free, 
        fair, and democratic elections in 1996;
Whereas on March 30, 1999, the Republic of Benin conducted free, fair, and 
        transparent elections for parliament which resulted in significant gains 
        for opposition political parties demonstrating Benin's political 
        pluralism;
Whereas over the last decade, the Republic of Benin has become the most stable, 
        democratic nation in West Africa and is committed to promoting democracy 
        throughout Africa;
Whereas the government of President Kerekou demonstrated its commitment to 
        reconciliation between the nations of Africa involved in the slave trade 
        and African-Americans by establishing a Conference on Reconciliation 
        held in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, in December 1999;
Whereas the Republic of Benin is a nation that is truly respectful of human 
        rights and political freedoms and is among the nations in the world not 
        to have a single political prisoner;
Whereas the Republic of Benin is a nation where there is a true commitment to 
        individual liberties, including the freedoms of assembly, association, 
        and of religion;
Whereas the Republic of Benin is committed to improving the life of the people 
        of Benin, as well as the lives of all Africans, by encouraging free 
        markets and privatization of state-owned enterprises, investment, and 
        competition among international business, and by creating a stable and 
        secure environment for international businesses to operate; and
Whereas President Clinton has recognized that the Republic of Benin qualifies 
        for the G-7 debt-relief program, due to its effective management of its 
        limited fiscal resources: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) commends President Kerekou for his outstanding 
        leadership and the people of the Republic of Benin for their 
        commitment to democracy;
            (2) believes that the United States should enhance its 
        efforts to consolidate democracy and free enterprise in the 
        Republic of Benin;
            (3) urges the Administration to leverage United States 
        assistance to the Republic of Benin in order to mobilize 
        greater foreign direct investment in Benin; and
            (4) encourages other nations throughout the developing 
        world to emulate the Republic of Benin's example as a bastion 
        of peace, security, free enterprise, and religious tolerance.
                                 <all>