[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S1141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 46--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF THE LATE ZURAB ZHVANIA, 
            FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

  Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Hagel, and Mr. Reid) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 46

       Whereas on the night of February 3, 2005, the Prime 
     Minister of the Republic of Georgia, Zurab Zhvania, died, 
     apparently due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a 
     malfunctioning heater;
       Whereas the death of Prime Minister Zhvania at the age of 
     41 is a tragic loss for the Republic of Georgia;
       Whereas Zurab Zhvania was a dedicated reformer whose 
     visionary leadership inspired a new generation of political 
     leaders in the Republic of Georgia;
       Whereas Zurab Zhvania founded the Citizen's Union Party, 
     which won elections in 1995, making him the Speaker of the 
     Georgian Parliament;
       Whereas under the leadership of Speaker Zhvania, the 
     Georgian Parliament was transformed into an effective and 
     transparent legislative institution;
       Whereas in November 2001, Speaker Zhvania resigned his 
     position in protest when government authorities attempted to 
     suppress the leading independent television station in the 
     Republic of Georgia;
       Whereas Zurab Zhvania formed the United Democrats, a party 
     that blossomed into one of the major forces that brought 
     about the Rose Revolution in the Republic of Georgia in 
     November 2003;
       Whereas in the most dangerous hours of the Rose Revolution, 
     when it appeared that armed force could be used against the 
     peaceful protestors, Zurab Zhvania dismissed his bodyguards 
     and led a march to Parliament accompanied only by his young 
     children;
       Whereas Zurab Zhvania was named Prime Minister of the 
     Republic of Georgia in November 2003, and led governmental 
     efforts to develop and implement far-reaching economic, 
     judicial, military, and social reforms thereby turning the 
     promise of the Rose Revolution into real results that have 
     dramatically improved life in the Republic of Georgia;
       Whereas the strong commitment of Zurab Zhvania to the 
     peaceful restoration of the territorial integrity of Georgia 
     was most recently displayed in the central role he played in 
     the development of the unprecedented and generous proposal of 
     the Republic of Georgia for resolving the status of South 
     Ossetia peacefully and justly; and
       Whereas Zurab Zhvania's vision of the historical destiny of 
     Georgia was eloquently expressed before the Council of Europe 
     on April 27, 1999, when he said, ``I am Georgian and 
     therefore, I am European'':
       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its deepest condolences to the family of 
     Zurab Zhvania for their tragic loss of a son, husband, and 
     father;
       (2) commends the courage, energy, political imagination, 
     and leadership of Zurab Zhvania that were so critical to the 
     development of a democratic Republic of Georgia; and
       (3) recognizes that the integration of the Republic of 
     Georgia into Euro-Atlantic institutions will be the 
     completion of the vision of Zurab Zhvania and his most 
     lasting legacy.

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