[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 263 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 263

 Congratulating the Republic of Croatia on the 10th anniversary of its 
                   recognition by the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 8, 2002

Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Voinovich, and 
 Mr. Biden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Congratulating the Republic of Croatia on the 10th anniversary of its 
                   recognition by the United States.

Whereas the United States recognized the Republic of Croatia on April 7, 1992, 
        acknowledging the decision of the Croatian people to live in an 
        independent, democratic, and sovereign country;
Whereas, during the 10 years since the recognition, the people of Croatia have 
        overcome the legacy of the autocratic Tudjman government and persevered 
        in building a democratic society, based on the rule of law, respect for 
        human rights, and a free market economy, as shown by the democratic 
        parliamentary and presidential elections held in January and February 
        2000;
Whereas the people and Government of the Republic of Croatia share the 
        democratic values of the international community and the responsibility 
        to uphold them, actively promoting democratic values in international 
        organizations;
Whereas Croatia, cooperating on the basis of partnership and solidarity, 
        participates in the Vilnius Group, which is committed to the common 
        values of security and democratic stability through future North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization membership;
Whereas Croatia is a reliable friend and ally of the United States, actively 
        contributing to the stabilization of South Central Europe; and
Whereas Croatia immediately positioned itself within the antiterrorism coalition 
        of nations, sharing the common interests and values of the free and 
        democratic world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the Republic of Croatia for the significant 
        progress it has made during the past decade, and encourages its 
        democratic orientation and further strengthening of respect for 
        human rights, the rule of law, and the free market;
            (2) supports the Republic of Croatia's aspirations to 
        become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
        (NATO), welcomes its commitment to the reforms required for 
        NATO membership, acknowledges the importance of its continued 
        commitment to those reforms, and recommends its acceptance into 
        the Membership Action Plan at the NATO Ministerial in 
        Reykjavik, Iceland in May 2002;
            (3) encourages Croatia's continued contributions in 
        bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region of 
        South Central Europe, including continuing its cooperation with 
        the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; 
        and
            (4) recognizes the important role of the Croatian-American 
        community in supporting the strengthening of bilateral 
        relations between the United States and the Republic of 
        Croatia.
                                 <all>