[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E516-E517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY, 176 YEARS OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 18, 1997

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with many of my other 
colleagues to commemorate Greek Independence Day. On March 25, 1821, 
Greece became independent of the Ottoman Empire and began its long, and 
sometimes difficult, journey back to democracy, freedom, stability, and 
prosperity.
  As the birthplace of democracy, Greece has always been a special 
place for America and Americans. In this diverse and culturally rich 
land, we see ourselves, our hopes, our past and our future. I am 
pleased to rise today as a friend of Greece and the Greek people, and 
congratulate them on their dynamic society and their triumph of will.
  As our NATO ally and partner in the global village, we work closely 
with Greece to bring about goals of mutual aspiration and concern. I 
must take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the Greek 
Government for the positive role that they are playing in mediating 
with the Serbian government in a quiet, behind the scenes manner--they 
have been effective where others have failed in persuading Milosevic to 
loosen his strangle-hold on Serbia and begin moving toward reform. I 
also call on them to be this same kind of force for good with their 
neighbor Albania during these difficult days for that country.
  I congratulate Greece on its efforts to mend fences with its neighbor 
Turkey and resolve their differences. While these overtures have not 
always been well received, the effort is always worth making, and 
Greece is the better for these efforts.
  I thank my colleague, Michael Bilirakis from Florida, for organizing 
this special order, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue. I 
have enjoyed working with him on a wide

[[Page E517]]

range of human rights issues, and I look forward to continuing to do so 
in the future. I also thank the Greek-American community for holding 
Members of Congress to a high standard, and supporting the work that we 
do in the Congress. This is a special day for all of us--I look forward 
to celebrating it every year and sending fondest good wishes to 
Hellenes all over the world.

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