[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5417-5421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 NATO FREEDOM CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2007

  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 987) to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of 
new members to NATO, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 987

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``NATO Freedom Consolidation 
     Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The sustained commitment of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) to mutual defense has made possible the 
     democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe. 
     Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can and 
     should play a critical role in addressing the security 
     challenges of the post-Cold War era in creating the stable 
     environment needed for those emerging democracies in Europe.
       (2) Lasting stability and security in Europe requires the 
     military, economic, and political integration of emerging 
     democracies into existing European structures.
       (3) In an era of threats from terrorism and the 
     proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly contributing to 
     security in the face of global security challenges for the 
     protection and interests of its member states.
       (4) In the NATO Participation Act of 1994 (title II of 
     Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress declared 
     that ``full and active participants in the Partnership for 
     Peace in a position to further the principles of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty and to contribute to the security of the 
     North Atlantic area should be invited to become full NATO 
     members in accordance with Article 10 of such Treaty at an 
     early date . . .''.
       (5) In the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title 
     VI of section 101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law 
     104-208; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress called for the prompt 
     admission of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and 
     Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and 
     declared that ``in order to promote economic stability and 
     security in Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, 
     Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine . . . the process of 
     enlarging NATO to include emerging democracies in Central and 
     Eastern Europe should not be limited to consideration of 
     admitting Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia 
     as full members of the NATO Alliance''.
       (6) In the European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of 
     division G of Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), 
     Congress declared that ``Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
     Republic should not be the last emerging democracies in 
     Central and Eastern Europe invited to join NATO'' and that 
     ``Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria . . . 
     would make an outstanding contribution to furthering the 
     goals of NATO and enhancing stability, freedom, and peace in 
     Europe should they become NATO members [and] upon complete 
     satisfaction of all relevant criteria should be invited to 
     become full NATO members at the earliest possible date''.
       (7) In the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act 
     of 2002 (Public Law 107-187; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), Congress 
     endorsed ``. . . the vision of further enlargement of the 
     NATO Alliance articulated by President George W. Bush on June 
     15, 2001, and by former President William J. Clinton on 
     October 22, 1996''.
       (8) At the Madrid Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in July 1997, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech 
     Republic were invited to join the Alliance, and the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state and government 
     issued a declaration stating ``[t]he alliance expects to 
     extend further invitations in coming years to nations willing 
     and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of 
     membership . . . [n]o European democratic country whose 
     admission would fulfill the objectives of the [North 
     Atlantic] Treaty will be excluded from consideration''.
       (9) At the Washington Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in April

[[Page 5418]]

     1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of state 
     and government issued a communique declaring ``[w]e pledge 
     that NATO will continue to welcome new members in a position 
     to further the principles of the [North Atlantic] Treaty and 
     contribute to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic area . 
     . . [t]he three new members will not be the last . . . [n]o 
     European democratic country whose admission would fulfill the 
     objectives of the Treaty will be excluded from consideration, 
     regardless of its geographic location . . .''.
       (10) In May 2000 in Vilnius, Lithuania, the foreign 
     ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
     the Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia 
     issued a statement (later joined by Croatia) declaring that--
       (A) their countries will cooperate in jointly seeking 
     membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the 
     next round of enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization;
       (B) the realization of membership in the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization by one or more of these countries would 
     be a success for all; and
       (C) eventual membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization for all of these countries would be a success 
     for Europe and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
       (11) On June 15, 2001, in a speech in Warsaw, Poland, 
     President George W. Bush stated ``[a]ll of Europe's new 
     democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea and all that 
     lie between, should have the same chance for security and 
     freedom--and the same chance to join the institutions of 
     Europe--as Europe's old democracies have . . . I believe in 
     NATO membership for all of Europe's democracies that seek it 
     and are ready to share the responsibilities that NATO brings 
     . . . [a]s we plan to enlarge NATO, no nation should be used 
     as a pawn in the agenda of others . . . [w]e will not trade 
     away the fate of free European peoples . . . [n]o more 
     Munichs . . . [n]o more Yaltas . . . [a]s we plan the Prague 
     Summit, we should not calculate how little we can get away 
     with, but how much we can do to advance the cause of 
     freedom''.
       (12) On October 22, 1996, in a speech in Detroit, Michigan, 
     former President William J. Clinton stated ``NATO's doors 
     will not close behind its first new members . . . NATO should 
     remain open to all of Europe's emerging democracies who are 
     ready to shoulder the responsibilities of membership . . . 
     [n]o nation will be automatically excluded . . . [n]o country 
     outside NATO will have a veto . . . [a] gray zone of 
     insecurity must not reemerge in Europe''.
       (13) At the Prague Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in November 2002, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, 
     Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were invited to 
     join the Alliance in the second round of enlargement of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization since the end of the Cold 
     War, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization heads of 
     state and government issued a declaration stating ``NATO's 
     door will remain open to European democracies willing and 
     able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of 
     membership, in accordance with Article 10 of the Washington 
     Treaty''.
       (14) On May 8, 2003, the United States Senate unanimously 
     approved the Resolution of Ratification to Accompany Treaty 
     Document No. 108-4, Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 
     1949 on Accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
     Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, inviting Bulgaria, Estonia, 
     Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to join 
     the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
       (15) At the Istanbul Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in June 2004, the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization heads of state and government issued a 
     communique reaffirming that NATO's door remains open to new 
     members, declaring ``[w]e celebrate the success of NATO's 
     Open Door Policy, and reaffirm today that our seven new 
     members will not be the last. The door to membership remains 
     open. We welcome the progress made by Albania, Croatia, and 
     the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) in implementing 
     their Annual National Programmes under the Membership Action 
     Plan, and encourage them to continue pursuing the reforms 
     necessary to progress toward NATO membership. We also commend 
     their contribution to regional stability and cooperation. We 
     want all three countries to succeed and will continue to 
     assist them in their reform efforts. NATO will continue to 
     assess each country's candidacy individually, based on the 
     progress made towards reform goals pursued through the 
     Membership Action Plan, which will remain the vehicle to keep 
     the readiness of each aspirant for membership under review. 
     We direct that NATO Foreign Ministers keep the enlargement 
     process, including the implementation of the Membership 
     Action Plan, under continual review and report to us. We will 
     review at the next Summit progress by aspirants towards 
     membership based on that report''.
       (16) Georgia and Ukraine have stated their desire to join 
     the Euro-Atlantic community, and in particular, are seeking 
     to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Georgia and 
     Ukraine are working closely with the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization and its members to meet criteria for eventual 
     membership in NATO.
       (17) At a press conference with President Mikhail 
     Saakashvili of Georgia in Washington, DC on July 5, 2006, 
     President George W. Bush stated that ``. . . I believe that 
     NATO would benefit with Georgia being a member of NATO, and I 
     think Georgia would benefit. And there's a way forward 
     through the Membership Action Plan . . . And I'm a believer 
     in the expansion of NATO. I think it's in the world's 
     interest that we expand NATO''.
       (18) Following a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in New 
     York on September 21, 2006, NATO Secretary General Jaap de 
     Hoop Scheffer announced the launching of an Intensified 
     Dialogue on membership between the Alliance and Georgia.
       (19) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Summit in Brussels in 
     February 2005, President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko 
     declared membership in NATO as the ultimate goal of Ukraine's 
     cooperation with the Alliance and expressed Ukraine's desire 
     to conclude a Membership Action Plan.
       (20) At the NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministerial 
     meeting in Vilnius in April 2005, NATO and Ukraine launched 
     an Intensified Dialogue on the potential membership of 
     Ukraine in NATO.
       (21) At the Riga Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in November 2006, the Heads of State and 
     Government of the member countries of NATO issued a 
     declaration reaffirming that NATO's door remains open to new 
     members, declaring that ``all European democratic countries 
     may be considered for MAP (Membership Action Plan) or 
     admission, subject to decision by the NAC (North Atlantic 
     Council) at each stage, based on the performance of these 
     countries towards meeting the objectives of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty. We direct that NATO Foreign Ministers keep 
     that process under continual review and report to us. We 
     welcome the efforts of Albania, Croatia, and the former 
     Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to prepare themselves for the 
     responsibilities and obligations of membership. We reaffirm 
     that the Alliance will continue with Georgia and Ukraine its 
     Intensified Dialogues which cover the full range of 
     political, military, financial and security issues relating 
     to those countries' aspirations to membership, without 
     prejudice to any eventual Alliance decision. We reaffirm the 
     importance of the NATO-Ukraine Distinctive Partnership, which 
     has its 10th anniversary next year and welcome the progress 
     that has been made in the framework of our Intensified 
     Dialogue. We appreciate Ukraine's substantial contributions 
     to our common security, including through participation in 
     NATO-led operations and efforts to promote regional 
     cooperation. We encourage Ukraine to continue to contribute 
     to regional security. We are determined to continue to 
     assist, through practical cooperation, in the implementation 
     of far-reaching reform efforts, notably in the fields of 
     national security, defence, reform of the defence-industrial 
     sector and fighting corruption. We welcome the commencement 
     of an Intensified Dialogue with Georgia as well as Georgia's 
     contribution to international peacekeeping and security 
     operations. We will continue to engage actively with Georgia 
     in support of its reform process. We encourage Georgia to 
     continue progress on political, economic and military 
     reforms, including strengthening judicial reform, as well as 
     the peaceful resolution of outstanding conflicts on its 
     territory. We reaffirm that it is of great importance that 
     all parties in the region should engage constructively to 
     promote regional peace and stability.''
       (22) Contingent upon their continued implementation of 
     democratic, defense, and economic reform, and their 
     willingness and ability to meet the responsibilities of 
     membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a 
     clear expression of national intent to do so, Congress calls 
     for the timely admission of Albania, Croatia, Georgia, 
     Macedonia, and Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization to promote security and stability in Europe.

     SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.

       Congress--
       (1) reaffirms its previous expressions of support for 
     continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization contained in the NATO Participation Act of 1994, 
     the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996, the European 
     Security Act of 1998, and the Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom 
     Consolidation Act of 2002;
       (2) supports the commitment to further enlargement of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include European 
     democracies that are able and willing to meet the 
     responsibilities of Membership, as expressed by the Alliance 
     in its Madrid Summit Declaration of 1997, its Washington 
     Summit Communique of 1999, its Prague Summit Declaration of 
     2002, its Istanbul Summit Communique of 2004, and its Riga 
     Summit Declaration of 2006; and
       (3) endorses the vision of further enlargement of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization articulated by President George 
     W. Bush on June 15, 2001, and by former President William J. 
     Clinton on October 22, 1996, and urges our allies in the 
     North Atlantic Treaty Organization to work with the United

[[Page 5419]]

     States to realize a role for the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in promoting global security, including 
     continued support for enlargement to include qualified 
     candidate states, specifically by entering into a Membership 
     Action Plan with Georgia and recognizing the progress toward 
     meeting the responsibilities and obligations of NATO 
     membership by Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, and 
     Ukraine.

     SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF ALBANIA, CROATIA, GEORGIA, MACEDONIA, 
                   AND UKRAINE AS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE 
                   UNDER THE NATO PARTICIPATION ACT OF 1994.

       (a) Designation.--
       (1) Albania.--The Republic of Albania is designated as 
     eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
     under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994 
     (title II of Public Law 103-447; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and 
     shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to 
     section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
       (2) Croatia.--The Republic of Croatia is designated as 
     eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
     under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, 
     and shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to 
     section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
       (3) Georgia.--Georgia is designated as eligible to receive 
     assistance under the program established under section 203(a) 
     of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to 
     have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such 
     Act.
       (4) Macedonia.--The Republic of Macedonia is designated as 
     eligible to receive assistance under the program established 
     under section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, 
     and shall be deemed to have been so designated pursuant to 
     section 203(d)(1) of such Act.
       (5) Ukraine.--Ukraine is designated as eligible to receive 
     assistance under the program established under section 203(a) 
     of the NATO Participation Act of 1994, and shall be deemed to 
     have been so designated pursuant to section 203(d)(1) of such 
     Act.
       (b) Rule of Construction.--The designation of the Republic 
     of Albania, the Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of 
     Macedonia, and Ukraine pursuant to subsection (a) as eligible 
     to receive assistance under the program established under 
     section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994--
       (1) is in addition to the designation of Poland, Hungary, 
     the Czech Republic, and Slovenia pursuant to section 606 of 
     the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of 1996 (title VI of 
     section 101(c) of title I of division A of Public Law 104-
     208; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), the designation of Romania, 
     Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria pursuant to section 
     2703(b) of the European Security Act of 1998 (title XXVII of 
     division G of Public Law 105-277; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note), and 
     the designation of Slovakia pursuant to section 4(a) of the 
     Gerald B. H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act of 2002 
     (Public Law 107-187; 22 U.S.C. 1928 note) as eligible to 
     receive assistance under the program established under 
     section 203(a) of the NATO Participation Act of 1994; and
       (2) shall not preclude the designation by the President of 
     other countries pursuant to section 203(d)(2) of the NATO 
     Participation Act of 1994 as eligible to receive assistance 
     under the program established under section 203(a) of such 
     Act.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR COUNTRIES 
                   DESIGNATED UNDER THE NATO PARTICIPATION ACT OF 
                   1994.

       Of the amounts made available for fiscal year 2008 under 
     section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763) 
     such sums as may be necessary are authorized to be 
     appropriated for assistance to the Republic of Albania, the 
     Republic of Croatia, Georgia, the Republic of Macedonia, and 
     Ukraine.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Lantos and my good friend, 
Representative Paul Gillmor from Ohio, for helping with this bill, and 
also the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  NATO is probably arguably one of the most important organizations now 
in this post-cold war period. NATO, our allies in Europe and Canada, 
have presently almost 17,000 troops on the ground in Kosovo and 35,000 
in Afghanistan. The alliance is strong, and it is very important from 
the standpoint of being an international organization that can go 
anywhere and bring order to chaos and back it up with some military 
capability. That is unique and critical, in my judgment, in this post-
Cold War world.
  NATO itself symbolizes really the cooperative effort across the 
Atlantic to promote regional and area-wide stability and also to 
encourage fledgling democracies, particularly in Eastern Europe. This 
legislation before us recognizes the continuing efforts of Albania, 
Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia and Ukraine to become members of NATO and 
encourages them to continue on that path. It is a statement from the 
Congress that we believe that what they are doing is important, and we 
believe that they are moving in the right direction.
  Since 1989, 10 countries have joined NATO. We have seen Eastern 
European countries join NATO and make a remarkable contribution to the 
ongoing effort not only in Afghanistan and in the Balkans, but also as 
it relates to the furthering of democracy across some of those formerly 
Warsaw Pact countries. Every President has endorsed the efforts that 
are embodied in this bill in terms of the expansion of NATO, and this 
process is not yet complete.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for recognizing the great work 
that both Chairman Lantos as well as Congressman Gillmor of Ohio have 
done in paying attention to this issue of NATO.
  Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to support this very timely 
legislation. This measure is a further step in helping to ensure that 
NATO, its member states and those aspiring to join this alliance are 
united in pursuit of European democracy and security.
  Since its formation in 1949, NATO's mission has been to safeguard the 
freedom, common heritage and civilization of its members by promoting 
stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area.

                              {time}  1245

  The measure before us serves to express America's continued support 
for these important goals.
  The NATO Freedom Consolidation Act should help to nurture all those 
European states that may eventually join that alliance and give it a 
sense of common strategic peacekeeping goals, by encouraging them to 
prepare, assume and maintain the responsibilities of membership.
  Specifically, the legislation calls for the timely admission of 
Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Macedonia, and Ukraine to NATO and 
authorizes security assistance for these countries in fiscal year 2008. 
The standards for joining NATO should not be lowered in any way and 
each country should be evaluated individually on the merits.
  Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia have been making progress on reforms 
through their participation in the NATO Membership Action Plan since 
2002.
  Georgia and Ukraine have not yet been granted a Membership Action 
Plan, but these two nations are making strides in order to qualify for 
MAP.
  The NATO Freedom Consolidation Act will provide important incentives 
and assistance to the countries to continue the implementation of 
democratic, defense and economic reforms. In these times, Madam 
Speaker, when we have important missions to accomplish overseas, I 
encourage my colleagues to vote in support of this measure.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to Mr. Gillmor, 
who just returned from a NATO conference overseas.
  Mr. GILLMOR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding

[[Page 5420]]

and also for her support of this resolution. I am very pleased to join 
with my colleague, John Tanner, in supporting this resolution.
  NATO is our most successful military alliance, maybe the most 
successful military alliance in history. It won the Cold War, and it is 
also providing security now in many other areas of the world that are 
outside the exact geographical footprint of the NATO countries. For 
example, as Mr. Tanner pointed out, there are troops in the Balkans. 
There are NATO troops in Afghanistan where they are carrying the fight. 
Many of those NATO allies have had troops also in Iraq.
  Very shortly after NATO was created in 1949, there was another group 
called the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to keep a close liaison between 
the North Atlantic Council, which is NATO, and the parliaments of those 
countries. Mr. Tanner and I have had the opportunity to represent the 
United States on that organization for I think a little over 10 years, 
and it has been a very valuable organization from the point of view of 
the United States. We have both had the opportunity at different times 
to serve as vice president of it and as chairman of the Economic and 
Security Committee, and Mr. Tanner now leads our delegation to that 
group.
  One of the things that I think is important about that when we go, as 
Republicans and Democrats, we seem to quit being Republicans and 
Democrats when we get outside of the United States. I would say when we 
meet with our European allies, the only way they know which party we 
belong to is when they ask us, because we speak with one voice.
  But many of the nations on the other side of the Cold War east of the 
Iron Curtain are now members of NATO, and they are some of the 
strongest and most enthusiastic members. As recently as 2004, seven new 
countries were added, all of them Warsaw countries, bringing the NATO 
membership to 26: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, 
Slovakia, and Slovenia.
  I want to point out that NATO is not a club you just join. You have 
to earn membership in NATO. It is a military alliance. You have to meet 
the criteria, and you have to contribute your part to that military 
strength in order to be a member. As long as the new members meet those 
commitments, NATO will continue to be a strong alliance and one of the 
strongest forces for peace, stability, and democracy in the world.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize a member of 
our delegation to the NATO PA; and by the way, Mr. Gillmor is a vice 
president of the NATO PA this term, and I am proud to serve with him, 
and now I would like to recognize a member of our delegation to the 
NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. 
Emerson), and yield to her such time as she may consume.
  Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 987.
  I want to tell a little story, if that is all right. Back in 1968 
when I was 17 years old and a senior in high school, my high school 
actually organized a spring break Eastertime trip to the Soviet Union, 
to Czechoslovakia, to Poland, and to East Berlin. It was my first trip 
out of the country; it was my first trip on an airplane; and of all 
places to go, it was behind the Iron Curtain.
  I knew a lot about NATO back then simply because we were studying it 
in my civics class, but I really didn't understand the importance of 
NATO until I went on that trip; and I didn't understand what it all 
meant until I went with my colleagues to my very first NATO 
Parliamentary Assembly meeting a few years ago.
  When you went to visit countries behind the Iron Curtain back when 
communism was rampant, it was remarkable to go into these countries 
where you had no freedom, no expression of thought, no nothing. It was 
gray and it was dreary, and it was so sad. Even though we were able to 
spend, at least in Czechoslovakia, time with some students, you really 
understood the importance of protecting your civil rights and your 
freedom of speech. I really understood that for the first time because 
of course we were all as kids afraid that we were being bugged in our 
hotel rooms and we were afraid to say anything because we thought we 
would get taken by the police.
  Anyway, back to my first NATO meeting and we are sitting across the 
table from members of the Czech Republic, from Latvia, Lithuania, 
Estonia, countries that had always been under the iron thumb of 
communism and the Soviet Union, and with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 
of course, were able to come into their own once again. That is one of 
the most remarkable things about getting to known our fellow 
parliamentarians and understanding their great desire to join an 
alliance like NATO that has done really an amazing job in protecting 
the North Atlantic region and our allies throughout that particular 
area.
  I don't know that people really understand the importance of this 
treaty organization and how it has fostered security and cooperation 
for almost 60 years now.
  I know, though, that the work of NATO is not complete because we have 
newly democratic countries such as Georgia and the Ukraine who have 
expressed strong interest in joining NATO, as well as other countries 
like Croatia and Macedonia who have actually opened constructive 
dialogues on their potential for NATO membership.
  When you have lived or touched on what it is like to live in 
countries that had no freedoms or protections like NATO can offer, it 
is so important for us to look favorably upon their opportunity to join 
this important treaty organization.
  There is no doubt in my mind that NATO membership will be able to 
further our goal of extending democracy throughout the globe. Certainly 
H.R. 987 will help accomplish this goal, and I am very pleased that my 
colleague, Mr. Tanner, has offered this bill; and I look forward to its 
passage.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, 
and I thank Mr. Tanner for his leadership.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today In support of H.R. 987, the 
NATO Freedom Consolation Act. In particular, I want to applaud my 
friend Mr. Tanner, and the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
for taking care to support Ukraine's progress towards NATO membership 
and designating that country as eligible for assistance under the NATO 
Participation Act.
  Last week, I participated in a meeting between Members of the 
Congressional Ukrainian Congress and Members of the Ukrainian 
Parliament. During that meeting, it was suggested that policymakers 
here in Washington might be experiencing ``Ukraine fatigue.''
  We are not Ukraine fatigued; we are Ukraine concerned. We have seen 
clearly, both during the Orange Revolution and in last year's 
parliamentary elections, that democracy works in Ukraine, but we are 
concerned by what it has produced.
  President Yushchenko, and indeed many in Ukraine, have signaled a 
strong desire to join NATO. While there have been differences of late 
over the pace at which Ukraine should make progress towards that goal, 
this legislation takes exactly the right approach in reinforcing our 
commitment to help Ukraine achieve it.
  In particular, we can assist Ukraine in continuing a variety of 
reforms that not only move the country towards NATO eligibility, but 
also help the Ukrainian people build a properous and stable country 
more broadly. Further, it is critical that we help the Ukrainian people 
understand what NATO membership means, both its benefits and its 
responsibilities.
  Again Madam Speaker, I strongly support this legislation to 
facilitate further expansion of NATO, particularly with regard to 
assistance for Ukraine, and I urge its passage.
  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mrs. Emerson and Mr. 
Gillmor, and you, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for participating. This is an 
important bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 987.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.

[[Page 5421]]

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________