[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 629 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 629

 Honoring the life of, and expressing the condolences of the Senate on 
                   the passing, of Bronislaw Geremek.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 29 (legislative day, July 28), 2008

     Mr. Lugar (for himself and Mr. Biden) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the life of, and expressing the condolences of the Senate on 
                   the passing, of Bronislaw Geremek.

Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was born on March 6, 1932, in Warsaw, Poland;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek led the democratic movement in Poland in the 1970s, 
        with his moral clarity and perseverance;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was spirited out of the Warsaw Ghetto at the age of 7 
        and survived the Second World War in hiding from the Nazis;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was educated at the Faculty of History at the 
        University of Warsaw and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris 
        and the Polish Academy of Sciences;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was a distinguished professor of history and received 
        honorary degrees from University of Bologna, Utrecht University, the 
        Sorbonne, Columbia University, and Jagiellonian University in Krakow, 
        Poland;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was a member of the Academia Europea, the PEN Club, 
        and the Societe Europeene de Culture and served as a visiting scholar at 
        the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian 
        Institution;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek joined the Gdansk workers' protest movement and became 
        one of the leaders of the independent trade union ``Solidarity'' and 
        chaired the Program Commission of the First National Convention of 
        Solidarity in 1981;
Whereas, in December 1981, Bronislaw Geremek was detained for his involvement 
        with Solidarity following the imposition of martial law in Poland;
Whereas, in his capacity as leader of the Commission for Political Reforms of 
        the Civic Committee, Bronislaw Geremek worked to ensure a peaceful 
        transition to democracy in Poland;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was a founder of the Democratic Union, a member of the 
        Sejm, the lower house of parliament in Poland, and chairman of the 
        Political Council of the Freedom Union from 1989 to 2001;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Poland from 
        1997 to 2000 and was a courageous advocate for democracy and human 
        rights;
Whereas, in March 1999, Bronislaw Geremek led efforts of the Government of 
        Poland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying that 
        ``Poland returns to where she has always belonged: the free world'';
Whereas, in 2001, Bronislaw Geremek was elected to the European Parliament, 
        where he was a member of the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for 
        Europe;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was a member of the Global Leadership Foundation;
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek was a recipient of the Order of the White Eagle, 
        Poland's most prestigious decoration;
Whereas, through his valiant and persistent efforts, Bronislaw Geremek helped 
        consolidate freedom in Eastern Europe and open the door to strong 
        relations with the United States and the West;
Whereas the bravery of Bronislaw Geremek gave hope to those around the world in 
        their own struggles with oppression and tyranny; and
Whereas Bronislaw Geremek made an invaluable contribution to his community, to 
        Poland, and the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the life and accomplishments of Bronislaw 
        Geremek and expresses its condolences on his passing; and
            (2) requests that the Secretary transmit an enrolled copy 
        of this resolution to the family of the deceased and to the 
        Ambassador of Poland to the United States.
                                 <all>