[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13624-13625]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  CONGRATULATING THE BALTIC NATIONS OF ESTONIA, LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 85, S. Con. Res. 
34.

[[Page 13625]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 34) congratulating 
     the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 
     tenth anniversary of the reestablishment of their full 
     independence.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations with an amendment, an amendment to the preamble, and an 
amendment to the title, as follows:
  [Omit the part in black brackets and insert the part printed in 
italic.]

                            S. Con. Res. 34

       Whereas the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and 
     Lithuania were forcibly and illegally incorporated into the 
     Soviet Union from 1940 until 1991;
       Whereas their forcible and illegal incorporation into the 
     Soviet Union was never recognized by the United States;
       Whereas, from 1940 to 1991, thousands of Estonians, 
     Latvians, and Lithuanians were executed, imprisoned, or 
     exiled by Soviet authorities through a regime of brutal 
     repression, Sovietization, and Russification in their 
     respective nations;
       Whereas, despite the efforts of the Soviet Union to 
     eradicate the memory of independence, the Baltic people never 
     lost their hope for freedom and their long-held dream of full 
     independence;
       Whereas, during the period of ``glasnost'' and 
     ``perestroika'' in the Soviet Union, the Baltic people led 
     the struggle for democratic reform and national independence; 
     and
       Whereas, in the years following the restoration of full 
     independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have 
     demonstrated their commitment to democracy, human rights, and 
     the rule of law, and have actively participated in a wide 
     range of international structures, pursuing further 
     integration with European political, economic, and security 
     organizations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) congratulates Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 
     tenth anniversary of [the restoration of their full 
     independence] the end of their illegal incorporation into the 
     Soviet Union; and
       (2) calls on the President to continue to build the close 
     and mutually beneficial relations the United States has 
     enjoyed with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the 
     restoration of the full independence of those nations.
       Amend the title so as to read: ``Concurrent resolution 
     congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and 
     Lithuania on the tenth anniversary of the end of their 
     illegal incorporation into the Soviet Union.''.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee 
amendment be agreed to, the resolution, as amended, be agreed to, the 
amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be 
agreed to, the title amendment be agreed to, the title, as amended, be 
agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any 
statements relating to the concurrent resolution be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment was agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Con. Res. 34), as amended, was agreed to.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 34

       Whereas the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and 
     Lithuania were forcibly and illegally incorporated into the 
     Soviet Union from 1940 until 1991;
       Whereas their forcible and illegal incorporation into the 
     Soviet Union was never recognized by the United States;
       Whereas, from 1940 to 1991, thousands of Estonians, 
     Latvians, and Lithuanians were executed, imprisoned, or 
     exiled by Soviet authorities through a regime of brutal 
     repression, Sovietization, and Russification in their 
     respective nations;
       Whereas, despite the efforts of the Soviet Union to 
     eradicate the memory of independence, the Baltic people never 
     lost their hope for freedom and their long-held dream of full 
     independence;
       Whereas, during the period of ``glasnost'' and 
     ``perestroika'' in the Soviet Union, the Baltic people led 
     the struggle for democratic reform and national independence; 
     and
       Whereas, in the years following the restoration of full 
     independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have 
     demonstrated their commitment to democracy, human rights, and 
     the rule of law, and have actively participated in a wide 
     range of international structures, pursuing further 
     integration with European political, economic, and security 
     organizations: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) congratulates Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 
     tenth anniversary of the end of their illegal incorporation 
     into the Soviet Union; and
       (2) calls on the President to continue to build the close 
     and mutually beneficial relations the United States has 
     enjoyed with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the 
     restoration of the full independence of those nations.

  The title amendment was agreed to.

                          ____________________