[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 170 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H12469-H12471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA ON ETHIOPIA'S SECOND MILLENNIUM

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 550) congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the 
second millennium of Ethiopia, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 550

       Whereas Ethiopia is a proud country with a long, rich 
     history;
       Whereas the earliest known hominid, internationally known 
     as Lucy and classified as the Australopithecus Afarensis, was 
     found in Ethiopia;
       Whereas in the 9th century, Ethiopians discovered coffee 
     beans in what is now known as the Kaffa region;
       Whereas Lalibela, a group of 11 medieval monolithic rock-
     hewn churches, was constructed in the 13th-century during the 
     Zagwe Dynasty;
       Whereas in 1978, Lalibela was recognized on the World 
     Heritage List as a property considered to have outstanding 
     universal cultural value by the World Heritage Committee of 
     the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
     Organization (UNESCO);
       Whereas in the mid-19th century, Emperor Tewodros II began 
     the modernization of Ethiopia and led a successful campaign 
     to unify Ethiopia;
       Whereas the proud and courageous people of Ethiopia 
     defeated the invading Italian army in the Battle of Adowa in 
     1896;
       Whereas United States-Ethiopian relations were established 
     on December 27, 1903, by Emperor Menelik II and President 
     Theodore Roosevelt;
       Whereas since then, the Ethiopian-American community has 
     grown to become the second largest African immigrant group in 
     the United States;
       Whereas in 1908, European colonial powers recognized 
     Ethiopia's borders and sovereignty;
       Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia officially banned the slave 
     trade;
       Whereas in 1923, Ethiopia joined the League of Nations;
       Whereas Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was 
     never colonized, with the exception of the 6 years of 
     occupation by the Fascist government of Italy;
       Whereas Ethiopia played an important role in the struggle 
     for freedom for many African countries during the colonial 
     period;
       Whereas in 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned as Emperor 
     Haile Selassie of Ethiopia;
       Whereas Emperor Haile Selassie modernized Ethiopia, kept 
     the country united, and largely peaceful;
       Whereas in 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie was ousted from 
     power through a military coup by the Derg junta and Lt. Col. 
     Mengistu Haile Mariam was installed as Head of State;
       Whereas in May 1991, the brutal Mengistu dictatorship came 
     to an end after a 17-year reign of terror;
       Whereas Ethiopia was a founding member of the United 
     Nations and one of the original drafters of the Security 
     Council Charter;
       Whereas Ethiopia played a pivotal role in creating the 
     Organization of Africa Unity (OAU), which was founded on May 
     25, 1963;
       Whereas Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, became the headquarters of 
     the OAU and remains the headquarters of its successor, the 
     African Union; and
       Whereas the 8th African Union Summit, held from January 29-
     30, 2007, officially declared the second Ethiopian millennium 
     as the second African millennium: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates the people of Ethiopia on the second 
     millennium of Ethiopia;
       (2) recognizes the long, rich history of Ethiopia;
       (3) commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability 
     on the African continent through the role it played in the 
     creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU);
       (4) recognizes the longstanding relationship between 
     Ethiopia and the United States;
       (5) commends the organizers of the second millennium 
     celebration in Ethiopia and the United States; and
       (6) commends the peaceful and jubilant celebration of the 
     second millennium of Ethiopia.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) each 
will control 20 minutes.

[[Page H12470]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution.
  I first want to thank the gentleman from California, our colleague 
Mr. Honda, for this resolution congratulating the Ethiopian people for 
their nation's second millennium. I also commend America's large 
Ethiopian community, the Committee for the Celebration of the Ethiopian 
Millennium, and Ambassador Samuel Assefa and his staff for making the 
celebration in Washington, D.C. a truly memorable event. That 
celebration brought together the finest Ethiopian artists, musicians, 
scientists, and scholars from around the world for the purpose of 
making the event not just a social festival but also a learning 
experience.
  Mr. Speaker, Ethiopia is one of the most fascinating countries in the 
world. It is a country of great antiquity with a culture and tradition 
dating back thousands of years. The most recent humanoid remains yet 
discovered, known as ``Lucy,'' were found in Ethiopia.
  Modern-day Ethiopia is a multiethnic country with some 83 languages 
spoken, most of which belong to four main language groups. It is a 
multireligious country where for centuries, Christians, Muslims, and 
Jews have co-existed.
  In a region of the country known as Kaffa, Ethiopians in the ninth 
century discovered what we now know as coffee. Ethiopians still 
practice a traditional ceremony around coffee, a significant social 
event of the day for family and community.
  Today Ethiopia is an emerging democracy, a leader on the continent of 
Africa, and a friend to the United States. Ethiopia stood by the 
American people on September 11 and has continued to cooperate with the 
U.S. Government and the world community in the fight against terrorism.
  I wish to express our gratitude and to extend our best wishes to the 
people of Ethiopia as their nation observes the beginning of its third 
millennium.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 550, which congratulates 
the people of Ethiopia as they celebrate their second millennium. This 
commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the African 
continent and recognizes the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia 
and the United States.
  While much of the world celebrated the dawn of the second millennium 
in January of 2000, Ethiopia recognizes the Coptic calendar, which 
falls 7 years behind our own. This practice is in keeping with 
Ethiopia's long and rich cultural heritage.
  Ethiopia is the only country on the African continent never to have 
been colonized and, in fact, played an important role in the liberation 
struggles of numerous other African countries during the colonial 
period. It continues to play an important role in promoting peace 
across the continent, both as a major supporter of peacekeeping efforts 
and the home of the African Union.
  Ethiopia has served as a model of religious toleration in the region, 
a place where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have co-existed 
peacefully for centuries. Ethiopia also is home to countless historical 
artifacts and world heritage sites, including the earliest known 
hominid, Lucy; and the medieval rock churches of Lalibela, which have 
been recognized as a wonder of the world. All of these facts have 
contributed to the strong sense of pride and nationalism that 
Ethiopians enjoy today.
  And while Ethiopia continues to face significant challenges in terms 
of security and democratic and economic development, this is a country 
that has served as one of the strongest allies of the United States in 
the region. The value of our relationship should not be taken lightly.
  I was particularly pleased to learn that Prime Minister Meles, 
Ethiopia's Prime Minister, kicked off the celebrations in September by 
granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, including a 
number of opposition leaders.
  It is my hope that the spirit of rebirth and reconciliation 
engendered in the celebration will continue to take root as Ethiopia 
embarks on a second millennium.
  So I rise to congratulate our friends in Ethiopia on this joyous 
occasion, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we have now concluded six bills that came out of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, and I just want to congratulate all the 
sponsors of the bills and the members of the committee. You can see 
these bills were all supported with strong bipartisan support. But I 
want to especially commend the staffs on both sides of the aisle for 
working very, very hard in getting these bills through.
  The very first bill we did was H.R. 1567, which was my bill, the Stop 
TB Now Act of 2007. And I want to especially commend my legislative 
director, Emily Gibbons, who was so responsible for this bill. If it 
wasn't for her, I don't think this bill would have come to its 
fruition. She was tenacious and was extraordinarily helpful to me in 
passing this legislation, and this legislation is clearly also a 
tribute to her fine work.
  So I wanted to mention that, and I wanted to again thank my colleague 
from Arkansas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 550, congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the second 
millennium of Ethiopia, and for other purposes, introduced by my 
distinguished colleague from California, Representative Michael Honda. 
This important legislation recognizes the significant efforts made by 
the government of Ethiopia to move forward in peace and stability, and 
it encourages our continued relationship.
  Ethiopia is currently on the road to democracy. This is a path that 
should be paved with civil and political discourse, peaceful 
transitions of power, and respect for human rights. By necessity, the 
achievement of a modern democracy requires the implementation of 
electoral reforms, the separation of powers in the government, and the 
establishment of a truly independent judiciary. These are the founding 
principles of our American Republic, and I have seen firsthand the 
progress on the path to democracy Ethiopia has made since the brutal 
dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam was brought down in 1991. I 
strongly believe that the United States should do all it can to support 
this transition, including bolstering civil society and speaking out 
when fundamental human rights are violated.
  Ethiopia has a long and proud history. It is the cradle of mankind, 
as illustrated by Lucy, also known as Dinkinesh (Amharic for ``you are 
wonderful''), which is the nearly complete hominid skeleton discovered 
by archaeologists in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia on November 30, 1974. 
Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago and has redefined 
science's understanding of human evolution. I was happy to work with 
Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, Ethiopian Ambassador Samuel Assefa, 
and the Houston Museum of Natural Science to bring Lucy to Houston, 
which is one of only nine American cities and the only city in Texas to 
host the exhibit. The bones are currently on display in Houston, and 
will be until April 2008.
  Ethiopia is also the oldest independent nation in Africa, has never 
been colonized, and is home to the African Union. Despite Ethiopia's 
rich history, however, recent decades have brought hardship and 
suffering to Ethiopia's people, through military conflict, natural 
disasters, and a military dictatorship.
  For over a decade in the House of Representatives, and prior to that 
in the Houston city council, I have been an outspoken and unwavering 
advocate for the country of Ethiopia and its people, both in Ethiopia 
and in the diaspora. Following in the legendary footsteps of my 
predecessor, Mickey Leland, who died attempting to alleviate the 
starvation faced by Ethiopia's innocent populace, I have been a 
champion of increasing foreign aid to, political, economic, and social 
cooperation with, and improving human rights in Ethiopia.

[[Page H12471]]

  Mr. Speaker, I believe this legislation is extremely important in 
encouraging the progressive strides of the government of Ethiopia. This 
legislation not only congratulates the people of Ethiopia on Ethiopia's 
second millennium and their long and rich history, but also commends 
Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the African continent 
through its role in the creation of the Organization of African Unity. 
It further recognizes the longstanding Ethiopia-U.S. relationship and 
commends the organizers of the second millennium celebrations both in 
Ethiopia and the United States.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 550, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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