[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY: A NATIONAL DAY OF CELEBRATION OF GREEK AND 
                           AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
78, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  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. 78) designating March 25, 2003, 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. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 78) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 78

       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 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 
     presenting the Axis land war with its first major setback, 
     setting off a chain of events that significantly affected the 
     outcome of World War II;
       Whereas the price for Greece in holding our common values 
     in their region was high, as hundreds of thousands of 
     civilians were killed in Greece during the World War II 
     period;
       Whereas President George W. Bush, in recognizing Greek 
     Independence Day on March 25, 2002, said, ``Greece and 
     America have been firm allies in the great struggles for 
     liberty. Americans will always remember Greek heroism and 
     Greek sacrifice for the sake of freedom . . . [and] as the 
     21st Century dawns, Greece and America once again stand 
     united; this time in the fight against terrorism. The United 
     States deeply appreciates the role Greece is playing in the 
     war against terror . . . . America and Greece are strong 
     allies, and we're strategic partners.'';
       Whereas Greece is a stabilizing force by virtue of its 
     political and economic power in the volatile Balkan region 
     and is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe;
       Whereas on January 1, 2003, Greece took over the Presidency 
     of the European Union for the fourth time since it joined the 
     Union in 1981 with the message of ``Our Europe: Sharing the 
     Future in a Community of Values'';
       Whereas Greece, through excellent work and cooperation with 
     United States and international law enforcement agencies, 
     recently arrested key members of the November 17 terrorist 
     organization;
       Whereas President Bush stated that Greece's ``successful 
     law enforcement operations against a terrorist organization 
     [November 17] responsible for three decades of terrorist 
     attacks underscore the important contributions Greece is 
     making to the global war on terrorism'';
       Whereas Greece's unprecedented Olympic security effort, 
     including a record-setting expenditure of over $600,000,000 
     and the utilization of a 7-member Olympic Security Advisory 
     Group which includes the United States, will contribute to a 
     safe and secure environment for staging the 2004 Olympic 
     Games in Athens, Greece;
       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, 2003, marks the 182nd 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, 2003, 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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