[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1024 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1024

  Recognizing the 187th anniversary of the independence of Greece and 
               celebrating Greek and American democracy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2008

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Bilirakis, Mrs. Maloney 
of New York, Mr. Payne, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Watson, Mr. Wilson 
 of South Carolina, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Manzullo, Mr. 
   Poe, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Holt, Mr. Frank of 
 Massachusetts, Mr. Fattah, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Kennedy, 
Mr. Space, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Sarbanes, and Mr. Crowley) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the 187th anniversary of the independence of Greece and 
               celebrating Greek and American democracy.

Whereas the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democracy, in which the 
        supreme power to govern was vested in the people;
Whereas the Founding Fathers of the United States drew heavily on the political 
        experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our 
        representative democracy;
Whereas Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern 
        Greek state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821 that ``it 
        is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating 
        you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we 
        succeed in resembling you'';
Whereas Greece played a major role in the World War II struggle to protect 
        freedom and democracy through such bravery as was shown in the historic 
        Battle of Crete, which provided the Axis land war with its first major 
        setback, setting off a chain of events that significantly affected the 
        outcome of World War II;
Whereas the price for Greece in holding our common values in their region was 
        high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during 
        World War II;
Whereas throughout the 20th century, Greece was one of only three countries in 
        the world, other than the former British Empire, that allied with the 
        United States in every major international conflict;
Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek Independence Day, said, 
        ``Greece and America have been firm allies in the great struggles for 
        liberty. Americans will always remember Greek heroism and Greek 
        sacrifice for the sake of freedom . . . [and] as the 21st Century dawns, 
        Greece and America once again stand united; this time in the fight 
        against terrorism. The United States deeply appreciates the role Greece 
        is playing in the war against terror. . . . America and Greece are 
        strong allies, and we're strategic partners.'';
Whereas President Bush stated that Greece's successful ``law enforcement 
        operations against a terrorist organization [November 17] responsible 
        for three decades of terrorist attacks underscore the important 
        contributions Greece is making to the global war on terrorism'';
Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United States in bringing 
        political stability and economic development to the volatile Balkan 
        region, having invested over $20 billion in the countries of the region, 
        thereby creating over 200,000 new jobs, and having contributed over $750 
        million in development aid for the region;
Whereas Greece was extraordinarily responsive to requests by the United States 
        during the war in Iraq, as Greece immediately granted unlimited access 
        to its airspace and the base in Souda Bay, and many ships of the United 
        States that delivered troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq were refueled 
        in Greece;
Whereas Greece is a top contributor to the defense efforts of the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization (NATO), spending an estimated 3 percent of its gross 
        domestic product on defense, and is also an active participant in 
        peacekeeping and peace-building operations conducted by international 
        organizations, including the United Nations, NATO, the European Union 
        (EU), and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
Whereas in August 2004, the Olympic games came home to Athens, Greece, the land 
        of their ancient birthplace 2,500 years ago and the city of their modern 
        revival in 1896;
Whereas Greece received world-wide praise for its extraordinary handling during 
        the 2004 Olympics of over 14,000 athletes from 202 countries and over 2 
        million spectators and journalists, which it did so efficiently, 
        securely, and with its famous Greek hospitality;
Whereas the unprecedented security effort in Greece for the first summer 
        Olympics after the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, 
        included a record-setting expenditure of over $1,390,000,000 and 
        assignment of over 70,000 security personnel, as well as the utilization 
        of an eight-country Olympic Security Advisory Group that included the 
        United States;
Whereas Greece, located in a region where Christianity meets Islam and Judaism, 
        maintains excellent relations with Muslim nations and Israel;
Whereas the Government of Greece has had extraordinary success in recent years 
        in furthering cross-cultural understanding and reducing tensions between 
        Greece and Turkey, as seen most recently with the January 2008 visit to 
        Turkey by Greece's Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, the first official 
        visit by a Greek Prime Minister in 49 years;
Whereas Greece and the United States are at the forefront of the effort for 
        freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights;
Whereas those and other ideals have forged a close bond between Greece and the 
        United States and their peoples;
Whereas March 25, 2008, the National Day of Celebration of Greek and American 
        Democracy, marks the 187th anniversary of the beginning of the 
        revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire and 
        celebrates the aspirations for democracy that the peoples of Greece and 
        the United States share; and
Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to celebrate this 
        anniversary with the Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic 
        principles from which these two great nations were born: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) extends warm congratulations and best wishes to the 
        people of Greece as they celebrate the 187th anniversary of the 
        independence of Greece;
            (2) expresses support for the principles of democratic 
        governance to which the people of Greece are committed; and
            (3) notes the important role that Greece has played in the 
        wider European region and in the community of nations since 
        gaining its independence 187 years ago.
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