110 HCON 409 IH: Supporting the awarding of a Membership U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-09 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 409 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 9, 2008 Mr. Shimkus (for himself and Mr. Tanner) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Supporting the awarding of a Membership Action Plan to the Republic of Georgia and Ukraine at the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers in December 2008.

Whereas the sustained commitment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to mutual defense has made the democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia possible; Whereas NATO members can and should play a critical role in addressing the security challenges of the post-Cold War era in creating the stable environment needed for emerging democracies in Europe and Eurasia; Whereas the Government of the Republic of Georgia and the Government of Ukraine have each expressed a desire to join the Euro-Atlantic community, and Georgia and Ukraine are working closely with NATO and its members to meet criteria for NATO membership; Whereas, on April 3, 2008, the heads of state and government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Bucharest stated that NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to Alliance operations. We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia and look forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in May. [A Membership Action Plan (MAP)] is the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on their direct way to membership. Today we make clear that we support these countries’ applications for MAP. Whereas at the NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministerial meeting in Vilnius in April 2005, NATO and Ukraine launched an Intensified Dialogue on membership between the Alliance and Ukraine; Whereas following a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in New York on September 21, 2006, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced the launching of an Intensified Dialogue on membership between NATO and Georgia; Whereas the Riga Summit Declaration, issued by the heads of state and government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in November 2006, reaffirms that NATO's door remains open to new members and that NATO will continue to review the process for new membership, stating We reaffirm that the Alliance will continue with Georgia and Ukraine its Intensified Dialogues which cover the full range of political, military, financial, and security issues relating to those countries' aspirations to membership, without prejudice to any eventual Alliance decision.; Whereas in January 2008, Ukraine forwarded to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer a letter, signed by President Victor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and Verkhovna Rada Speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk, requesting that NATO integrate Ukraine into the Membership Action Plan; Whereas in January 2008, Georgia held a referendum on NATO and 76.2 percent of the votes supported membership; Whereas in February 2008, Georgia forwarded to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer a letter, signed by President Mikhail Saakashvili, requesting that NATO integrate Georgia into the Membership Action Plan; Whereas both Georgia and the Ukraine have been steadfast partners in the War on Terror with troops serving as part of the Multi-national Force—Iraq; Whereas, on August 10, 2008, Georgian troops withdrew from Iraq to defend their own borders; Whereas, on August 13, 2008, President George W. Bush stated, “The United States of America stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia. We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected.”; Whereas United States support for the approval of Membership Action Plans for Georgia and Ukraine demonstrates support for the development of democratic institutions in those countries, the process of defense reform and respect for human rights; Whereas NATO membership requires significant national and international commitments and sacrifices and is not possible without the support of the populations of the NATO member states; Whereas a period of intensive engagement will begin with Georgia and Ukraine at a high political level to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their Membership Action Plan applications; and Whereas NATO Foreign Ministers have the authority to decide on the Membership Action Plan applications of Georgia and Ukraine and have been asked to make a first assessment of progress at their December 2008 meeting: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1)Congress— (A)reaffirms its previous expressions of support for continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to include qualified candidates; and (B)supports the commitment to further enlargement of NATO to include democratic governments that are able and willing to meet the responsibilities of membership; and (2)it is the sense of Congress that— (A)the expansion of NATO contributes to NATO's continued effectiveness and relevance; (B)the Republic of Georgia and Ukraine are strong allies that have made important progress in the areas of defense, democratic, and human rights reform; (C)a stronger, deeper relationship among the Government of Georgia, the Government of Ukraine, and NATO will be mutually beneficial to those countries and to NATO member states; and (D)the United States should take the lead in supporting the awarding of a Membership Action Plan to Georgia and Ukraine at the meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers in December 2008.