[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 38 (Tuesday, April 12, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                IN CELEBRATION OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______


                          HON. MARTIN R. HOKE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 1994

  Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, March 25, to commemorate Greek 
Independence Day. I am pleased to join the many Greek-Americans in the 
10th Congressional District of Ohio and the Greater Cleveland area in 
observing for the eighth consecutive year here in Congress the rich and 
vibrant United States-Hellenic relationship.
  We know from our history lessons that modern democracy has its roots 
in the Athenian system of government of the first millennium B.C. It 
was her citizens' full participation in government that made the city 
of Athens, and Greece as a whole, the envy of the ancient world. The 
Greek model of democratic government, in which power rests in the hands 
of the citizens and not a single individual, is the underlying 
principle that has guided our country for more than 200 years.
  In the 19th century, after many hundreds of years of foreign 
occupation, the Greek people rose up and successfully won their 
independence from the Ottoman Empire. Today, March 25, we celebrate 
their successful struggle for democracy--and a continuing legacy of 173 
years of democracy.
  The link between Greece and the United States is not limited to a 
similar model of governance. Greek-Americans have made significant 
contributions to our way of life in the fields of government, 
entertainment, education, medicine, religion, and so many others. From 
Maria Callas, opera singer, to George Papanicolaou, inventor of the Pap 
smear test, to Pete Sampras, tennis champion, Greek-Americans have 
played an important role in our society.
  Unfortunately, a cloud still hangs over the relationship between 
Greece and Turkey over the country of Cyprus. While America's 
commitment to peace in Cyprus remains as strong as ever, it is sad to 
note that peace talks between Greece and Turkey have stalled. Both 
United States and Untied Nations officials have publicly complained of 
Turkish intransigence and lack of goodwill in these talks. Thousands of 
Greek and Turkish troops stand armed at opposite ends of the island 
nation, resulting in the creation of two separate countries on an 
island of 3,500 square miles--an area roughly the size of Connecticut.
  In addition, we should also be concerned with recent developments in 
the former Yugoslavia. The emergence of the self-proclaimed Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia has served to heighten instability in the 
Balkans. It is my sincere hope that we will soon see an end to this and 
the many other ethnic conflicts that have torn apart the Balkan region.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that President Clinton and the 
Congress are properly commemorating the important role of Greece and 
her people in the United States today. It is very important for them to 
know that we share their sense of pride in their achievements and 
contributions to our cultural and intellectual life of this country.

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