[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 83 (Thursday, June 4, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6215-S6216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 169--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
  GOVERNMENT OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA SHOULD WORK 
   WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE UNITED NATIONS PROCESS WITH GREECE TO 
 ACHIEVE LONGSTANDING UNITED STATES AND UNITED NATIONS POLICY GOALS OF 
   FINDING A MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE COMPOSITE NAME, WITH A GEOGRAPHICAL 
   QUALIFIER AND FOR ALL INTERNATIONAL USES FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAV 
                         REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mrs. Shaheen, and Ms. Mikulski) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 169

       Whereas, on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General 
     Assembly admitted as a member the former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia, under the name the ``former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia'';
       Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 817 
     (1993) states that the international dispute over the name 
     must be resolved to maintain peaceful relations between 
     Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 
     regional stability;
       Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the 
     United States in bringing political stability and economic 
     development to the Balkan region, having invested over 
     $20,000,000,000 in the countries of the region, thereby 
     creating over 200,000 new jobs, and having contributed over 
     $750,000,000 in development aid for the region;
       Whereas Greece has invested over $1,000,000,000 in the 
     former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thereby creating more 
     than 10,000 new jobs and having contributed $110,000,000 in 
     development aid;
       Whereas Senate Resolution 300, introduced in the 110th 
     Congress, urged the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to 
     abstain from hostile activities and stop the utilization of 
     materials that violate provisions of the United Nations-
     brokered Interim Agreement between the former Yugoslav 
     Republic of Macedonia and Greece regarding ``hostile 
     activities or propaganda'';
       Whereas NATO's Heads of State and Government unanimously 
     agreed in Bucharest on April 3, 2008, that ``. . . within the 
     framework of the UN, many actors have worked hard to resolve 
     the name issue, but the Alliance has noted with regret that 
     these talks have not produced a successful outcome. Therefore 
     we agreed that an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic 
     of Macedonia will be extended as soon as a mutually 
     acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached. We 
     encourage the negotiations to be resumed without delay and 
     expect them to be concluded as soon as possible'';
       Whereas the Heads of State and Government participating in 
     the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg/Kehl 
     on April 4, 2009, reiterated their unanimous support for the 
     agreement at the Bucharest Summit ``to extend an invitation 
     to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as soon as a 
     mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been 
     reached within the framework of the UN, and urge intensified 
     efforts towards that goal.''; and
       Whereas authorities in the former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia urged their citizens to boycott Greek investments 
     in the

[[Page S6216]]

     country and not to travel to Greece: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia to work within the framework of the United Nations 
     process with Greece to achieve longstanding United States and 
     United Nations policy goals by finding a mutually acceptable 
     composite name, with a geographical qualifier and for all 
     international uses for the former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia; and
       (2) urges the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of 
     Macedonia to abstain from hostile activities and stop 
     violating provisions of the United Nations-brokered Interim 
     Agreement between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
     and Greece regarding ``hostile activities or propaganda''.

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