[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 39 (Thursday, March 11, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                RESTORATION OF LITHUANIA'S INDEPENDENCE

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise to mark the ninth 
anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania's independence. I also rise 
to pay tribute to the Lithuanian people for their perseverance and 
sacrifice, which enabled them to achieve the freedom they now enjoy.
  On March 11, 1990, the newly elected Lithuanian Parliament, 
fulfilling its electoral mandate from the people of Lithuania, declared 
the restoration of Lithuania's independence and the establishment of a 
democratic state. This marked a great moment for Lithuania and for 
lovers of freedom around the globe.
  The people of Lithuania endured a 51-year foreign occupation. 
Resulting from the infamous Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939, this Soviet 
occupation brought with it communist dictatorship and cultural 
genocide. But the Lithuanian people were not defeated. They resisted 
their oppressors and kept their culture, their faith and their dream of 
independence very much alive even during the hardest times.
  The people of Lithuania were even able to mobilize and sustain a non-
violent movement for social and political change, a movement which came 
to be known as Sajudis. This people's movement helped guarantee a 
peaceful transition to independence through full participation in 
democratic elections on February 24, 1990.
  Unfortunately, the peace did not last. In January 1991, ten months 
after restoration of independence, the people and government of 
Lithuania faced a bloody assault by foreign troops intent on 
overthrowing their democratic institutions. Lithuanians withstood this 
assault, maintaining their independence and their democracy. Their 
successful use of non-violent resistance to an oppressive regime is an 
inspiration to all.
  On September 17, 1991, Lithuania became a member of the United 
Nations and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other 
international agreements. It also is a member of the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, the North Atlantic Cooperation 
Council and the Council of Europe. Lithuania is an associate member of 
the European Union, has applied for NATO membership and is currently 
negotiating for membership in the WTO, OECD and other Western 
organizations.
  The United States established diplomatic relations with Lithuania on 
July 28, 1992. But our nation never really broke with the government 
and people of Lithuania. The U.S. never recognized the forcible 
incorporation of Lithuania into the U.S.S.R., and views the present 
Government of Lithuania as a legal continuation of the inter-war 
republic. Indeed, for over fifty years the United States maintained a 
bipartisan consensus that our nation would refuse to recognize the 
forcible incorporation of Lithuania into the former Soviet Union.
  Our relations with Lithuania are strong, friendly and mutually 
beneficial. Lithuania has enjoyed Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) treatment 
with the U.S. since December, 1991. Through 1996, the U.S. has 
committed over $100 million to Lithuania's economic and political 
transformation and to address humanitarian needs. In 1994, the U.S. and 
Lithuania signed an agreement of bilateral trade and intellectual 
property protection, and in 1997 a bilateral investment treaty.
  In 1998 the U.S. and Lithuania signed The Baltic Charter Partnership. 
That charter recalls the history of American relations with the area 
and underscores our ``real, profound, and enduring'' interest in the 
security and independence of the three Baltic states. As the Charter 
also notes, our interest in a Europe whole and free will not be ensured 
until Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are secure.
  Mr. President, I commend the people of Lithuania for their courage 
and perseverance in using peaceful means to regain their independence. 
I pledge to work with my colleagues to continue working to secure the 
freedom and independence of Lithuania and its Baltic neighbors, and I 
join with the people of Lithuania as they celebrate their 
independence.

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