[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONTRASTING ESTONIAN PRESIDENT MERI TO BELARUS DICTATOR LUKASHENKO

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I have time to speak about the death and 
passing of President Meri from Estonia who died Tuesday in his sleep. 
Deported to Siberia at the age of 12, he worked as a lumberman, a 
potato farmer. He got back to Estonia, graduated as a professor of 
history cum laude, was not allowed by the Soviets to practice that 
profession, became a playwright, was involved in the ``Singing 
Revolution'' and became the second president of the country of Estonia.
  This is in contrast to the dictator Lukashenko, who as of today, has 
blocked European election monitors, has thrown out eight Scandinavians 
for doing polling, and has again arrested Alexander Milinkevich for 
campaign activities.
  President Meri will be able to rest and sleep in a free, sovereign, 
democratic Estonia, while dictator Alexander Lukashenko will just have 
sleepless nights by depriving his country of freedom and democracy.

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