[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to address the 
House while our presiding officer is a fellow representative from the 
San Fernando Valley, the area that can best be described currently as 
the center of world culture. Throughout the ages, however, Greece has 
been the center of world culture; and that is why I am proud to join 
with so many members of the Hellenic Caucus in addressing the House 
with regard to the 179th anniversary of Greek independence.
  Mr. Speaker, 179 years ago, on March 25, 1821, the Greek people 
declared their independence, throwing off the yoke of over 400 years of 
Ottoman oppression. Greek patriot Regas Fereos issued the rallying cry 
of the struggle, shouting that it is better to be free for an hour than 
to have 40 years of imprisonment and enslavement.
  Greek freedom fighters looked to the American revolution and American 
democracy for inspiration, and adopted their own declaration of 
independence. At the same time, our Founding Fathers were guided by the 
democratic principles that first arose in Greece, and they took to 
heart the Hellenic ideals of ancient Greece, the birthplace of 
democracy.
  This is a day for us to reflect on the vital alliance between Greece 
and the United States and to pay our debt to Hellenic ideals and to 
Hellenic culture. It is a day for Greek Americans to take pride in the 
independence of Greece and in the ancient culture of all Hellenians.
  Mr. Speaker, as we take note of Greece's great victory in its war of 
independence, we must also remember that there remain problems in the 
eastern Mediterranean, problems between Greece and the successor to its 
former colonial master, Turkey, the successor to the Ottoman empire. We 
must work to bring peace to the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, 
and to do that we must deal with some of the remaining problems.
  A Greek-Turkish dialogue can go forward, and I and my colleagues, so 
many of us, have called upon Turkey to stop making invalid claims on 
Greek sovereign territory and take respect for international law 
regarding the Aegean.
  We have passed the Peace in Cyprus resolution, which calls upon a 
full withdrawal of Turkish troops from Greece. We must also recognize 
the importance of having Turkey adhere to human rights standards and to 
respect the ecumenical patriarchy of the orthodox churches in Istanbul, 
also known as Constantinople. So as we look at history, we must also 
look at the current situation in the Aegean.
  But returning, Mr. Speaker, to the historical ties between Greece and 
the United States, I should note that since its liberation, Greece has 
stood by America in each of our involvements in Europe; and America 
should continue to stand by Greece. Greece is one of only three nations 
outside of the British Empire that has been allied with the United 
States in every major international conflict of this century.

                              {time}  1930

  One out of every nine Greeks lost his or her life fighting the Nazis 
in World War II. Through the Marshall Plan, Greeks were able to 
rebuild; and the Marshall Plan stands as a monument to the close 
relations between the United States and Greece.
  Grease remains a staunch NATO ally in a region of grave concern and, 
as I have noted, deserves American support.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with Greece and the Greek American 
community and the Hellenic Caucus in celebrating the 179th anniversary 
of Greek independence. I look forward to working with my colleagues in 
strengthening relations with this important ally.

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