[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 550 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      November 5, 2007.
Whereas Ethiopia is a proud country with a long, rich history;
Whereas the earliest known hominid, internationally known as Lucy and classified 
        as the Australopithecus Afarensis, was found in Ethiopia;
Whereas in the 9th century, Ethiopians discovered coffee beans in what is now 
        known as the Kaffa region;
Whereas Lalibela, a group of 11 medieval monolithic rock-hewn churches, was 
        constructed in the 13th-century during the Zagwe Dynasty;
Whereas in 1978, Lalibela was recognized on the World Heritage List as a 
        property considered to have outstanding universal cultural value by the 
        World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific 
        and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
Whereas in the mid-19th century, Emperor Tewodros II began the modernization of 
        Ethiopia and led a successful campaign to unify Ethiopia;
Whereas the proud and courageous people of Ethiopia defeated the invading 
        Italian army in the Battle of Adowa in 1896;
Whereas United States-Ethiopian relations were established on December 27, 1903, 
        by Emperor Menelik II and President Theodore Roosevelt;
Whereas since then, the Ethiopian-American community has grown to become the 
        second largest African immigrant group in the United States;
Whereas in 1908, European colonial powers recognized Ethiopia's borders and 
        sovereignty;
Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia officially banned the slave trade;
Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia joined the League of Nations;
Whereas Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never colonized, with 
        the exception of the 6 years of occupation by the Fascist government of 
        Italy;
Whereas Ethiopia played an important role in the struggle for freedom for many 
        African countries during the colonial period;
Whereas in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned as Emperor Haile Selassie of 
        Ethiopia;
Whereas Emperor Haile Selassie modernized Ethiopia, kept the country united, and 
        largely peaceful;
Whereas in 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie was ousted from power through a military 
        coup by the Derg junta and Lt. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam was installed 
        as Head of State;
Whereas in May 1991, the brutal Mengistu dictatorship came to an end after a 17-
        year reign of terror;
Whereas Ethiopia was a founding member of the United Nations and one of the 
        original drafters of the Security Council Charter;
Whereas Ethiopia played a pivotal role in creating the Organization of Africa 
        Unity (OAU), which was founded on May 25, 1963;
Whereas Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, became the headquarters of the OAU and remains 
        the headquarters of its successor, the African Union; and
Whereas the 8th African Union Summit, held from January 29-30, 2007, officially 
        declared the second Ethiopian millennium as the second African 
        millennium: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates the people of Ethiopia on the second millennium of 
        Ethiopia;
            (2) recognizes the long, rich history of Ethiopia;
            (3) commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the 
        African continent through the role it played in the creation of the 
        Organization of African Unity (OAU);
            (4) recognizes the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia and 
        the United States;
            (5) commends the organizers of the second millennium celebration in 
        Ethiopia and the United States; and
            (6) commends the peaceful and jubilant celebration of the second 
        millennium of Ethiopia.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.