[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11706-S11707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND 
                                BULGARIA

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations 
Committee be discharged from further action on S. Res. 225 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. 225) commemorating the 100th 
     anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States 
     and Bulgaria.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the amendment to the preamble be agreed to, and the preamble, as 
amended, be agreed to; further, that the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table and any statements regarding this matter appear in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1738) was agreed to, as follows:


                           amendment no. 1738

               (Purpose: To make a technical correction)

       In the ninth whereas clause of the preamble, strike ``2003, 
     Bulgaria was invited to join'' and insert ``2002, Bulgaria 
     was invited to accession talks with''.
  The resolution (S. Res. 225) was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 225

       Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations 
     with the Republic of Bulgaria on September 19, 1903;
       Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the 
     Bulgarian people in deciding to pursue a free, democratic, 
     and independent Bulgaria and the steadfast perseverance of 
     the Bulgarian people in building a society based on 
     democratic values, the rule of law, respect for human rights, 
     and a free market economy;
       Whereas the Bulgarian people, including Bulgarian civil and 
     religious leaders, bravely protected 50,000 Bulgarian Jews 
     from deportation and extermination during the Holocaust;
       Whereas Bulgaria has supported stability in the Balkans by 
     rendering support to Operation Allied Force and Operation 
     Joint Guardian led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     (NATO), and by providing peacekeeping troops to the 
     Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the 
     Kosovo Force in Kosovo;
       Whereas Bulgaria was among the very first countries to 
     denounce terrorism and pledge active support to the United 
     States in the fight against terrorism following the events of 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas Bulgaria provided overflight and basing rights at 
     the town of Burgas for Operation Enduring Freedom and 
     Bulgaria deployed a military unit to Afghanistan as

[[Page S11707]]

     part of the International Security Assistance Force;
       Whereas Bulgaria has stood firmly by the United States in 
     the cause of advancing freedom worldwide during its tenure as 
     a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security 
     Council;
       Whereas Bulgaria met each request of the United States 
     relating to overflight and basing rights as well as transit 
     of United States and coalition forces, and deployed a 500-man 
     infantry battalion as part of a stabilization force in Iraq;
       Whereas in November 2002, Bulgaria was invited to accession 
     talks with NATO and has shown determination in enacting the 
     continued reforms necessary to be a productive, contributing 
     member of the Alliance;
       Whereas Bulgaria strongly supports the strengthening of 
     trans-Atlantic relations and considers the relations to be a 
     basis for NATO unity and cooperation in countering new 
     threats to global security; and
       Whereas in May 2003, the Senate gave its consent with 96 
     votes to 0 for the ratification of the accession protocols of 
     Bulgaria and 6 other aspirant countries from Central and 
     Eastern Europe to NATO, thereby welcoming their contribution 
     to common trans-Atlantic security: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 100 years of diplomatic relations 
     between the United States and Bulgaria;
       (2) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for developing 
     increasingly friendly and broadly based relations with the 
     United States, which are now the most favorable in the 
     history of United States-Bulgaria relations;
       (3) recognizes Bulgaria's continued contributions towards 
     bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region of 
     southeastern Europe, including the contributions of Bulgaria 
     to regional security and democratic stability;
       (4) salutes Bulgaria's willing cooperation and increasingly 
     vital role as a valuable ally in the war against 
     international terrorism;
       (5) highlights the importance of Bulgaria's active 
     participation in regional initiatives such as the Stability 
     Pact for Southeast Europe, the Southeast Europe Cooperative 
     Initiative, and the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process, and 
     the various projects of those initiatives, which are focused 
     on fighting crime and corruption, increasing trade, improving 
     the investment climate, and generally preparing Bulgaria and 
     Southeast Europe as a whole for eventual membership in the 
     European Union; and
       (6) encourages opportunities for greater cooperation 
     between the United States and Bulgaria in the political, 
     military, economic, and cultural spheres.

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