[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 25 (Friday, March 8, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1711-S1712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 322, S. Res. 214.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 214) designating March 25, 2002, as 
     ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of 
     Greek and American Democracy.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble 
be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any 
statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 214) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                              S. Res. 214

       Whereas the ancient Greeks developed the concept of 
     democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested in 
     the people;
       Whereas the Founding Fathers of the United States drew 
     heavily on the political experience and philosophy of ancient 
     Greece in forming our representative democracy;
       Whereas Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a 
     founder of the modern Greek state, said to the citizens of 
     the United States in 1821, ``it is in your land that liberty 
     has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall 
     imitate our ancestors

[[Page S1712]]

     and be thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling 
     you'';
       Whereas Greece is 1 of only 3 nations in the world, beyond 
     the former British Empire, that has been allied with the 
     United States in every major international conflict for more 
     than 100 years;
       Whereas Greece played a major role in the World War II 
     struggle to protect freedom and democracy through such 
     bravery as was shown in the historic Battle of Crete and in 
     Greece, presenting the Axis land war with its first major 
     setback, which set off a chain of events that significantly 
     affected the outcome of World War II;
       Whereas the price for Greece holding our common values in 
     their region was high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians 
     were killed in Greece in the World War II period;
       Whereas President George W. Bush, in a letter to the Prime 
     Minister of Greece, Constantinos Simitis, in January 2001, 
     referred to the ``stable foundations and common values'' that 
     are the basis of relations between Greece and the United 
     States;
       Whereas President Bush in his January 10, 2002 meeting with 
     the Greek Prime Minister, said, ``I am most appreciative of 
     your strong stand against terror. You have been a friend in 
     our mutual concerns about routing out terror around the 
     world,'' and, ``I look forward to the Olympics. It's going to 
     be a magnificent moment for the sporting world to have the 
     Olympics return to Athens. I'm confident your country will do 
     a fine job'';
       Whereas as a member of NATO, Greece has assigned members of 
     its air force to fly surveillance missions over the United 
     States;
       Whereas Greece is a stabilizing force by virtue of its 
     political and economic power in the volatile Balkan region, 
     is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, and will 
     hold the presidency of the European Union in 2003;
       Whereas Greece, geographically located in a region where 
     Christianity meets Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent 
     relations with Muslim nations and Israel;
       Whereas Greece has had extraordinary success in recent 
     years in furthering cross-cultural understanding and reducing 
     tensions between Greece and Turkey;
       Whereas Greece and the United States are at the forefront 
     of the effort for freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and 
     human rights;
       Whereas those and other ideals have forged a close bond 
     between our 2 nations and their peoples;
       Whereas March 25, 2002, marks the 181st anniversary of the 
     beginning of the revolution that freed the Greek people from 
     the Ottoman Empire; and
       Whereas it is proper and desirable to celebrate with the 
     Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from 
     which our 2 great nations were born: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 25, 2002, as ``Greek Independence Day: 
     A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American 
     Democracy''; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling on the people of the United States to observe the day 
     with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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