An amendment to the preamble.

EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE BALTIC COUNTRIES OF ESTONIA,
                         LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on International Relations be discharged from further consideration of
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 128) expressing the sense of
Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation should issue a
clear

[[Page H6370]]

and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal
occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the
Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and ask for its
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, although I
will not object to this resolution, but I want to claim the time to
speak in support of this resolution.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, with 29 other
Members of Congress, that calls upon Russia to acknowledge the
occupation and subsequent suffering of the Baltic people under Soviet
control during the period of time of the secret Molotov Richenberg
agreement.
  The resolution comes to the floor in a timely manner. This week is
Captive Nations Week, first declared so by the U.S. Congress on July
17, 1959 as a joint resolution against continuing Communist domination
of the Baltic countries. President Bush has again declared this week
Captive Nations Week and urges Americans to reaffirm their commitment
to all those seeking liberty, justice and self-determination. I can
think of no better way to honor the memories of those who fought for
freedom against Communist control than to pass this resolution.
  During Communist occupation of the Baltics, hundreds of thousands of
people were torn from their families and deported to Siberia, many
never to be heard from again. No one can exactly be sure of the amount
of those who died or fled Soviet control, but it has been estimated
from 500,000 to 750,000 people. You cannot meet a person in these
countries that did not have a family member or loved one who was not
affected by these horrible practices. Russia has been unwavering in its
nonrecognition of the mass deportations, tortures, and murders
committed during the Soviet regime; a Soviet regime that was a
Communist regime, not a supposedly more open Russian government that
purports to be democratic today.
  I feel, along with the 29 cosponsors of this resolution, that Russia
needs to acknowledge the mistakes of the past so it can move forward
and become a truthful State and, in turn, a stronger democracy. It is
important that the United States join with our allies in the Baltics
and stand for democracy and the rights of individuals to be protected
everywhere. Democracy and freedom cannot exist without truth and
transparency.
  I would hope Russia would take a step towards this as a Nation by
acknowledging the past, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor
of this resolution.
  I also want to take the time to thank the gentleman from Illinois
(Chairman Hyde), the gentleman from California (Ranking Member Lantos),
the gentleman from California (Chairman Gallegly), and the gentleman
from Florida (Ranking Member Wexler) for allowing this to be moved in
an expeditious manner.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 128

       Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries
     of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was
     an act of aggression carried out against the will of
     sovereign people;
       Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of
     not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia,
     Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to
     the Soviet Union;
       Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its
     secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
     provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and
     annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the
     Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to
     Siberian concentration camps;
       Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
     bravely resisted Soviet aggression first through armed
     resistance movements and later through political resistance
     movements;
       Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its
     participation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and
     publicly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi
     Germany unleashed on the world;
       Whereas, in 1989, the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the
     Soviet Union declared the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939
     void;
       Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic
     countries is one of the largest remaining unacknowledged
     incidents of oppression in Russian history;
       Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of such incident by
     the Russian Federation would lead to improved relations
     between the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the
     people of Russia, would form the basis for improved relations
     between the governments of the countries, and strengthen
     stability in the region;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for
     beginning to acknowledge grievous and regrettable incidents
     in their history, such as admitting complicity in the
     massacre of Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939;
       Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing,
     forgiving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds
     distrust, fear, and hostility; and
       Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their
     historical mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot
     successfully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the
     Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and
     unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the
     illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from
     1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and
     Lithuania, the consequence of which will be a significant
     increase in good will among the affected peoples and enhanced
     regional stability.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.


           Amendment to the Preamble Offered by Mr. Mc Cotter

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment to the preamble.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment to the preamble offered by Mr. McCotter:
       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries
     of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was
     an act of aggression carried out against the will of
     sovereign people;
       Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of
     not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia,
     Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to
     the Soviet Union;
       Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its
     secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
     provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and
     annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the
     Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to
     Siberian concentration camps;
       Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
     bravely resisted Soviet aggression and occupation;
       Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its
     participation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and
     publicly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi
     Germany unleashed on the world;
       Whereas in 1989, the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the
     Soviet Union denounced the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939
     and its secret protocols;
       Whereas President Putin recently confirmed that the
     statement of the Congress of Peoples' Deputies remains the
     view of the Russian Federation;
       Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic
     countries by the Soviet Union remains unacknowledged by the
     Russian Federation;
       Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of the illegal
     occupation and annexation by the Russian Federation would
     lead to improved relations between the people of Estonia,
     Latvia, and Lithuania and the people of Russia, would form
     the basis for improved relations between the governments of
     the countries, and strengthen stability in the region;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for
     acknowledging grievous and regrettable incidents in the
     Soviet era, such as the massacre by the Soviet regime of
     Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939;
       Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing,
     forgiving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds
     distrust, fear, and hostility; and
       Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their
     historical mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot
     successfully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it

  Mr. McCOTTER (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous
consent that the amendment to the preamble be considered as read and
printed in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?

[[Page H6371]]

  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment to the
preamble offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter).
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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