[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 274 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 274

   Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the peaceful and democratic 
                       reunification of Germany.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 1, 2015

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Risch, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. 
 Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

                            October 8, 2015

               Reported by Mr. Corker, without amendment

                            October 22, 2015

                        Considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the peaceful and democratic 
                       reunification of Germany.

Whereas more than 22,000,000 people of the United States served in the Cold War 
        by supporting the efforts to bring military, economic, and diplomatic 
        pressure to bear in the defense of Germany and the West, and ultimately 
        helping more than 400,000,000 people gain freedom from the bondage of 
        communism in the Soviet Bloc;
Whereas the United States supported the promulgation of the Basic Law for the 
        Federal Republic of Germany, under which Germany was eventually 
        reunited;
Whereas the United States created the Reconstruction Loan Corporation, which, 
        under West German leadership, became the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau 
        that invested in the reconstruction of West Germany and lay the economic 
        groundwork for the reunification of Germany;
Whereas, on November 4, 1989, more than 1,000,000 people gathered in 
        Alexanderplatz in East Berlin and 40 other cities and towns in East 
        Germany to demand free elections and basic civil rights, such as freedom 
        of opinion, movement, press, and assembly;
Whereas, on November 9, 1989, East German politbureau member Guenter Schabowski 
        announced that the Government of East Germany would allow ``every 
        citizen of the German Democratic Republic to leave the GDR through any 
        of the border crossings'' and East German leader Egon Krenz promised 
        ``free, general, democratic, and secret elections'';
Whereas thousands of people in East Berlin immediately flooded the border 
        checkpoints at the Berlin Wall and demanded entry into West Berlin, 
        causing the overwhelmed border guards of East Germany to open the 
        checkpoints to allow people to cross into West Berlin;
Whereas in the days following the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, 
        hundreds of thousands of people from East Germany freely crossed the 
        border into West Berlin and West Germany for the first time in more than 
        28 years;
Whereas German Chancellor Helmut Kohl demonstrated leadership and vision when he 
        announced a 10-point program calling for the 2 Germanys to expand mutual 
        cooperation with the view toward eventual reunification on November 28, 
        1989;
Whereas in March 1990, East Germany held free elections for the first time and 
        those elections led to the defeat of the Party of Democratic Socialism 
        and demonstrated the desire of the East German people to reunify Germany 
        and rejoin the world community, which led to the May 1990 treaty on 
        monetary, economic, and social issues and the signing of the Unification 
        Treaty on August 31, 1990;
Whereas, on October 2, 1990, President George Herbert Walker Bush told the 
        German people: ``The United States is proud to have built with you the 
        foundations of freedom, proud to have been a steady partner in the quest 
        for 1 Germany, whole and free. America is proud to count itself among 
        the friends and allies of free Germany, now and in the future.'';
Whereas, on October 3, 2015, the people of Germany will celebrate in Frankfurt 
        and across Germany, the 25th anniversary of the reunification of 
        Germany; and
Whereas the reunification of Germany demonstrated the end of the division of 
        Europe and the triumph of democracy over communism: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) with the people of the former communist countries and 
        Western Europe, celebrates 25 years of a united Germany, free 
        from the oppression of communism;
            (2) honors the courage and sacrifice of the people of 
        Germany, the United States, and other countries who served in 
        the Cold War to bring freedom to Central and Eastern Europe;
            (3) recognizes the importance of the alliance between the 
        United States and Germany in--
                    (A) common defense;
                    (B) an enduring shared commitment to the free and 
                unified Europe; and
                    (C) an expanding and deepening economic prosperity 
                under the rule of law throughout Europe;
            (4) expresses to the people of Germany an appreciation for 
        the commitment of the people of Germany to the promotion of 
        freedom through leadership in providing international 
        assistance, support for peacekeeping and international security 
        efforts, and acceptance of refugees, including efforts by the 
        people of Germany in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
        Kosovo, Lebanon, Sudan, and Ukraine; and
            (5) reaffirms the deep and historical friendship between 
        the Government and people of the United States and the 
        Government and people of Germany.
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