[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Page 32386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




WELCOMING PUBLIC APOLOGIES BY PRESIDENTS OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO, AND 
                          REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 378, S. Res. 
237.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 237) welcoming the public apologies 
     issued by the President of Serbia and Montenegro and the 
     President of the Republic of Croatia and urging other leaders 
     in the region to perform similar concrete acts of 
     reconciliation.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid 
upon the table en bloc, and any statements relating to the resolution 
be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 237) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 237

       Whereas the President of Serbia and Montenegro and the 
     President of the Republic of Croatia each issued on September 
     10, 2003, a public statement of apology for the crimes 
     committed by citizens of each country against citizens of the 
     other country; and
       Whereas the countries of Southeast Europe are struggling to 
     move beyond the problems of the past and toward a brighter 
     future that includes membership in both the European Union 
     and NATO: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) welcomes the public apologies issued on September 10, 
     2003, by the President of Serbia and Montenegro and the 
     President of the Republic of Croatia;
       (2) commends the initiative and personal courage 
     demonstrated by their actions;
       (3) recognizes the value of such apologies in the important 
     process of reconciliation in Southeast Europe;
       (4) notes public support within the region for these 
     efforts;
       (5) calls upon the governments in the region to continue 
     their efforts to encourage and advance reconciliation; and
       (6) reiterates the importance of resolving post-conflict 
     issues, including--
       (A) by ensuring that refugees and internally displaced 
     persons have the right to return home; and
       (B) by bringing persons indicted for war crimes to justice, 
     including through cooperation with the International Criminal 
     Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia.

                          ____________________