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109TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION

H. RES. 328

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the workers' strikes in Poland in 1980 that led to the establishment of the Solidarity Trade Union.

IV

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 17, 2005

Mr. GALLEGLY (for himself, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. KANJORSKI, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. ENGEL, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the workers' strikes in Poland in 1980 that led to the establishment of the Solidarity Trade Union.

Whereas, although Victory in Europe on May 8, 1945, resulted in liberty and democracy in many nations, Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe fell behind the repressive Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union; Whereas for more than four decades Poland and the nations of the Soviet Bloc struggled under authoritarian rule;

Whereas in June 1979, Pope John Paul II, the former Car

dinal Karol Wojtyla, returned to his homeland for the first time and exhorted his countrymen to "be not afraid" of the Communist regime;

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Whereas in July and August of 1980, Polish workers in the shipyards of Gdansk and Szczecin went on strike to demand greater political freedom;

Whereas workers' committees, led by electrician Lech Walesa, coordinated these strikes and ensured that the strikes were peaceful and orderly;

Whereas in August 1980, the Communist government of Poland yielded to the 21 demands of the striking workers, including the release of all political prisoners, the broadcasting of religious services on television and radio, and the right to establish independent trade unions;

Whereas the Communist government of Poland introduced martial law in December 1981 in an attempt to block the growing influence of the Solidarity movement;

Whereas the Solidarity Trade Union and its 10,000,000 members became a great social movement committed to promoting fundamental human rights, democracy, and Polish independence from the Soviet Union;

Whereas in February 1989, the Communist government of Poland agreed to conduct talks with the Solidarity Trade Union that led to elections to the National Assembly in June of that year, in which nearly all open seats were won by candidates supported by the Solidarity Trade Union, and led soon after to the election of Poland's first non-Communist Prime Minister in the post-war era, Mr. Tadeusz Mazowiecki;

Whereas the Solidarity movement ended communism in Po

land without bloodshed, inspiring other nations under Soviet control to do the same and leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989;

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Whereas on November 15, 1989, Lech Walesa gave a historic speech before a joint meeting of the United States Congress with the opening remarks "We the People . . .", which stirred a standing ovation from the Members of Congress;

Whereas on December 9, 1990, Lech Walesa was elected President of Poland;

Whereas the support of the United States and the PolishAmerican community was essential to the survival and success of the Solidarity movement; and

Whereas a bond of friendship exists between the United States and Poland, which is among the strongest allies of the United States, a contributing partner in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a reliable partner in the Global War on Terrorism, and a key contributor in Iraq and Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it

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Resolved, That, the House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes the 25th anniversary of the workers' strikes in Poland that led to establishment

of the Solidarity Trade Union;

(2) honors the struggle and sacrifice of the citizens of Poland who risked their lives to restore democracy to their country and to return Poland to the democratic community of nations; and

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tablish a flourishing representative government.

(3) offers Poland as a model for other nations struggling to emerge from authoritarian rule and es

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION

H. RES. 333

Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and
Reflection for Darfur, Sudan.

IV

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 20, 2005

Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. WOLF, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. CONYERS, and Ms. LEE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, Sudan.

Whereas, on July 22, 2004, Congress declared that genocide was taking place in Darfur, Sudan;

Whereas, on September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell testified to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that "genocide has been committed in Darfur";

Whereas, on September 21, 2004, President George W. Bush stated to the United Nations General Assembly that "the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my government has concluded are genocide";

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Whereas Article 1 of the Convention on the Prevention and

Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, done at Paris December 9, 1948, and entered into force January 12, 1951, states that "[t]he Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish";

Whereas fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, are protected in numerous international agreements and declarations;

Whereas the United Nations Security Council, in Security Council Resolution 1591, condemned the "continued violations of the N'djamena Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols of 9 November 2004 by all sides in Darfur and the deterioration of the security situation and negative impact this has had on humanitarian assistance efforts";

Whereas scholars estimate that as many as 400,000 have died from violence, hunger, and disease since the outbreak of conflict in Darfur began in 2003, and that as many as 10,000 may be dying each month;

Whereas it is estimated that more than 2,000,000 people have been displaced from their homes and remain in camps in Darfur and Chad;

Whereas religious leaders, genocide survivors, and world leaders have expressed grave concern over the continuing atrocities taking place in Darfur; and

Whereas it is appropriate that the people of the United States, leaders and citizens alike, unite in prayer for the

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