III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 629 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 École Pratique des Hautes Études 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 Société Européene 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

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.