[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 191 (Thursday, December 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S15571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CALLING FOR PRESIDENTIAL DISCUSSION WITH THE LEADERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF 
                                GEORGIA

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. 
Res. 391, and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 391) calling on the President of the 
     United States to engage in an open discussion with the 
     leaders of the Republic of Georgia to express support for the 
     planned presidential elections and the expectation that such 
     elections will be held in a manner consistent with democratic 
     principles.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 391) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 391

       Whereas the Republic of Georgia, which is an emerging 
     democracy strategically located between Turkey and Russia, is 
     an important political and geopolitical ally of the United 
     States;
       Whereas Georgia has made significant economic progress 
     since 2000, with an economic growth rate that now exceeds 9 
     percent on an annual basis, and was named the top economic 
     reformer in the world by the World Bank in 2006;
       Whereas the Government of Georgia has been a leader in 
     addressing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction 
     under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program;
       Whereas the Government of Georgia is working to become a 
     candidate for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) and the European Union;
       Whereas the United States Government strongly supports the 
     territorial integrity of Georgia and works actively toward a 
     peaceful settlement of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia 
     conflicts that might lead those regions toward greater 
     autonomy within a unified Georgia;
       Whereas the popular uprising in Georgia in 2003, the Rose 
     Revolution, led to the establishment of democracy in that 
     country;
       Whereas opposition parties in Georgia engaged in 
     demonstrations lasting several days beginning on November 2, 
     2007;
       Whereas the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, 
     declared a state of emergency on November 7, 2007, after 
     which the country's main opposition television station, 
     Imedi, was closed;
       Whereas Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza 
     visited Georgia on November 10-11, 2007, and urged the 
     Government of Georgia to reopen its private television 
     stations, stating on Georgian state television: ``A 
     cornerstone of democracy is that all TV stations should 
     remain open.'';
       Whereas President Saakashvili ended emergency rule on 
     November 17, 2007, and announced presidential elections to be 
     held on January 5, 2008;
       Whereas the Government of Georgia has announced the 
     reopening of the major opposition television station, Imedi;
       Whereas the Government of Georgia has invited international 
     election monitors to oversee the elections and thereby 
     contribute to greater international recognition of the 
     Georgian political process; and
       Whereas freedom of the press, freedom of political 
     expression, and a fair and impartial judiciary are among the 
     most fundamental tenets of democracy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the President should publicly state strong support for 
     free and fair elections to be held in Georgia on January 5, 
     2008, in accordance with democratic principles; and
       (2) the Government of Georgia, in order to restore faith in 
     the democratic evolution of the country--
       (A) must conduct free and fair elections, without 
     government interference; and
       (B) must permit all independent media to remain open and 
     report on the elections.

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