[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 225 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 225

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 
                      United States and Bulgaria.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 15, 2003

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

                           September 17, 2003

             Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 
                      United States and Bulgaria.

Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with the Republic of 
        Bulgaria on September 19, 1903;
Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the Bulgarian people in 
        deciding to pursue a free, democratic, and independent Bulgaria and the 
        steadfast perseverance of the Bulgarian people in building a society 
        based on democratic values, the rule of law, respect for human rights, 
        and a free market economy;
Whereas the Bulgarian people, including Bulgarian civil and religious leaders, 
        bravely protected 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from deportation and 
        extermination during the Holocaust;
Whereas Bulgaria has supported stability in the Balkans by rendering support to 
        Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian led by the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and by providing peacekeeping 
        troops to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the 
        Kosovo Force in Kosovo;
Whereas Bulgaria was among the very first countries to denounce terrorism and 
        pledge active support to the United States in the fight against 
        terrorism following the events of September 11, 2001;
Whereas Bulgaria provided overflight and basing rights at the town of Burgas for 
        Operation Enduring Freedom and Bulgaria deployed a military unit to 
        Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force;
Whereas Bulgaria has stood firmly by the United States in the cause of advancing 
        freedom worldwide during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the 
        United Nations Security Council;
Whereas Bulgaria met each request of the United States relating to overflight 
        and basing rights as well as transit of United States and coalition 
        forces, and deployed a 500-man infantry battalion as part of a 
        stabilization force in Iraq;
Whereas in November 2002, Bulgaria was invited to accession talks with NATO and 
        has shown determination in enacting the continued reforms necessary to 
        be a productive, contributing member of the Alliance;
Whereas Bulgaria strongly supports the strengthening of trans-Atlantic relations 
        and considers the relations to be a basis for NATO unity and cooperation 
        in countering new threats to global security; and
Whereas in May 2003, the Senate gave its consent with 96 votes to 0 for the 
        ratification of the accession protocols of Bulgaria and 6 other aspirant 
        countries from Central and Eastern Europe to NATO, thereby welcoming 
        their contribution to common trans-Atlantic security: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 100 years of diplomatic relations 
        between the United States and Bulgaria;
            (2) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for developing 
        increasingly friendly and broadly based relations with the 
        United States, which are now the most favorable in the history 
        of United States-Bulgaria relations;
            (3) recognizes Bulgaria's continued contributions towards 
        bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region of 
        southeastern Europe, including the contributions of Bulgaria to 
        regional security and democratic stability;
            (4) salutes Bulgaria's willing cooperation and increasingly 
        vital role as a valuable ally in the war against international 
        terrorism;
            (5) highlights the importance of Bulgaria's active 
        participation in regional initiatives such as the Stability 
        Pact for Southeast Europe, the Southeast Europe Cooperative 
        Initiative, and the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process, and 
        the various projects of those initiatives, which are focused on 
        fighting crime and corruption, increasing trade, improving the 
        investment climate, and generally preparing Bulgaria and 
        Southeast Europe as a whole for eventual membership in the 
        European Union; and
            (6) encourages opportunities for greater cooperation 
        between the United States and Bulgaria in the political, 
        military, economic, and cultural spheres.
                                 <all>