[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5240-5241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF EL SALVADOR ON 
         SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING FREE AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS

  Mr. CRAIG. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 73, which was 
reported by the Foreign Relations Committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 73) congratulating the Government and 
     the people of the Republic

[[Page 5241]]

     of El Salvador on successfully completing free and democratic 
     elections on March 7, 1999.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. CRAIG. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the resolution be printed at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 73) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 73

       Whereas on March 7, 1999, the Republic of El Salvador 
     successfully completed its second democratic multiparty 
     elections for President and Vice President since the signing 
     of the 1992 peace accords;
       Whereas these elections were deemed by international and 
     domestic observers to be free and fair and a legitimate 
     nonviolent expression of the will of the people of the 
     Republic of El Salvador;
       Whereas the United States has consistently supported the 
     efforts of the people of El Salvador to consolidate their 
     democracy and to implement the provisions of the 1992 peace 
     accords;
       Whereas these elections demonstrate the strength and 
     diversity of El Salvador's democratic expression and promote 
     confidence that all political parties can work cooperatively 
     at every level of government; and
       Whereas these open, fair, and democratic elections of the 
     new President and Vice President should be broadly commended: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the Government and the people of the 
     Republic of El Salvador for the successful completion of 
     democratic multiparty elections held on March 7, 1999, for 
     President and Vice President;
       (2) congratulates President-elect Francisco Guillermo 
     Flores Perez and Vice President-elect Carlos Quintanilla 
     Schmidt on their recent victory and their continued strong 
     commitment to democracy, national reconciliation, and 
     reconstruction;
       (3) congratulates El Salvadoran President Armando Calderon 
     Sol for his personal commitment to democracy, which has 
     helped in the building of national unity in the Republic of 
     El Salvador;
       (4) commends all Salvadoran citizens and political parties 
     for their efforts to work together to take risks for 
     democracy and to willfully pursue national reconciliation in 
     order to cement a lasting peace and to strengthen democratic 
     traditions in El Salvador;
       (5) supports Salvadoran attempts to continue their 
     cooperation in order to ensure democracy, national 
     reconciliation, and economic prosperity; and
       (6) reaffirms that the United States is unequivocally 
     committed to encouraging democracy and peaceful development 
     throughout Central America.

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