[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 24, 2004

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, this Thursday, March 25th, the people of 
Greece will mark the 183rd anniversary of their independence from the 
Ottoman Empire.
  The modem state of Greece was born from a protracted, bloody war 
against the Ottoman Empire between the years 1821 and 1832. The 
significance of the Greek War of Independence transcends the bounds of 
Greece and its history. It was the first major war of liberation after 
our own revolution, and it marked the end of four centuries of often 
brutal rule by Istanbul. The struggle for Greek independence drew in 
Europe's great powers and inspired thousands of non-Greeks to join the 
cause, including Goethe, Schiller, Victor Hugo, Mary Shelley, Alfred de 
Musset and Lord Byron.
  Today, more than one million of our fellow citizens trace their 
origins to this ruggedly beautiful land that gave birth to western 
civilization, and I am honored to join them in this celebration of 
Greek independence. As the brilliant Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley 
wrote in the preface to Hellas in 1821, ``We are all Greeks. Our laws, 
our literature, our religion, our arts, have their root in Greece.''
  Twenty-four centuries after the construction of the Parthenon, the 
buildings that house all three branches of our government draw heavily 
on the architecture of ancient Greece. This is more than mere homage to 
the graceful beauty of ancient Greek buildings; it is an acknowledgment 
that our democracy, the core of American nationhood, is a gift to us 
from Greece. In 332 B.C. Aristotle said, ``If liberty and equality, as 
is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be 
best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the 
utmost.'' More than two thousands years later his words still inspire 
us to struggle to perfect our democracy here at home, as we work to 
foster it around the globe. We are deeply grateful for the support of 
Greece in the Global War on Terrorism and Greece's participation is 
enhanced by its status as the cradle of democracy.
  Even while we fight together to end the scourge of international 
terrorism in a world that seems far more unpredictable and dangerous 
than it did 4 years ago, people around the world look forward to the 
celebration of another of Greece's gifts to humanity, the Olympic 
Games. At a time of some uncertainty for the Olympic Movement, I 
welcome the return of the Olympics to Athens for the first time since 
the inaugural games of the modern era in 1896. I am looking forward to 
a spectacular Games that will reconnect the modern Olympics with its 
roots in antiquity and recapture the world's imagination. As an honor 
to the Games and its hosts, I urge the British Government to commit, 
before the start of the Olympics, to return the Parthenon Marbles to 
the people of Greece. Returning the marbles would be a noble act, in 
keeping with the spirit of the ekecheiria, the Olympic Truce.
  Greeks and Greek-Americans have another reason to celebrate this 
year. After three decades of division, Cyprus is poised on the brink of 
reunification, its accession to the European Union now only weeks away. 
Cypriots on both sides of the Green Line hope that the island's 
reunification can be finalized before Cyprus joins the EU on May 1. I 
recently joined 45 of my colleagues in asking Secretary of State Powell 
and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to make some modifications to the 
Annan plan for reunification. As drafted, there are some provisions of 
the Annan plan that could render it unworkable. The changes we proposed 
would improve the chances for Cypriot unity and peace, and I hope that 
they are incorporated in the final phases of the negotiations.
  If a solution to Cyprus can be finalized it would reshape the eastern 
Mediterranean and could lead to an improvement in relations between 
Greece and Turkey. I am saddened by the tense relations between these 
two neighbors, both of which are strong friends of the United States 
and vital members of NATO. To quote Aesop: ``A crust eaten in peace is 
better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.''
  Since the Greek War of Independence, when Congress sent money and 
supplies to the Greeks in their struggle for freedom, common values, 
shared goals, and mutual respect have been the foundation of the 
friendship between Greece and the United States. Those ties endure to 
this day, and they have enriched both peoples.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy and admiration that I wish the 
people of Greece a happy Independence Day and continued freedom and 
prosperity.

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