Full Text of SR0447 93rd General Assembly
SR0447 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SR0447 |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | 3 |
| recognize and honor the 751st year of Lithuania's statehood, | 4 |
| and the 86th year of Lithuania's independence as a democracy | 5 |
| which was established on February 16, 1918, in Lithuania's | 6 |
| historic capital, Vilnius; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, Lithuania has made significant progress in | 8 |
| developing a stable democracy and free market economy during | 9 |
| the 14 years since it overthrew, through a peaceful democratic | 10 |
| movement, an illegal foreign occupation by the former Soviet | 11 |
| Union; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States never recognized the forced | 13 |
| incorporation and illegal annexation of Lithuania by the former | 14 |
| Soviet Union in June, 1940, and continued to maintain | 15 |
| diplomatic relations with the legal representatives of | 16 |
| independent Lithuania; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, Lithuania has received invitations and is | 18 |
| expected to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), | 19 |
| a defensive alliance of Western democracies, in May of 2004, as | 20 |
| well as the European Union, a common market of Western | 21 |
| democracies; and | 22 |
| WHEREAS, Lithuanian military units are serving together | 23 |
| with American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as allies in the | 24 |
| war on global terrorism; and in Bosnia and Kosovo in | 25 |
| peacekeeping missions; and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, The government and parliament of the Russian | 27 |
| Federation have consistently opposed Lithuania's | 28 |
| re-integration with Western democracies and encumbered | 29 |
| Lithuanian-Russian relations by refusing to ratify border | 30 |
| treaties, demanding visa-free travel through Lithuania's |
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| territory for both civilian and military traffic, undermining | 2 |
| Lithuania's full participation in NATO by opposing the basing | 3 |
| of NATO troops and equipment on Lithuania's territory, for a | 4 |
| very considerable time denying Lithuania's Mazeikiu Nafta oil | 5 |
| refinery a reliable supply of crude oil, and imposing double | 6 |
| tariffs on Lithuanian imports; and
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| WHEREAS, The partially-privatized Russian oil company, | 8 |
| LUKoil, and the Russian government refuse to open their oil | 9 |
| drilling site in the Baltic Sea 22 km off the coast of | 10 |
| Lithuania, known as "D-6", to international inspection, and | 11 |
| refuse to cooperate
with the Lithuanian government in | 12 |
| developing an effective plan to minimize the effects of the
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| United States military personnel as part of a broader NATO | 14 |
| commitment; we urge Russia to adopt a more cooperative policy | 15 |
| towards Lithuania and its ally, the United States; therefore, | 16 |
| be it | 17 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL | 18 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the government | 19 |
| of the Russian Federation and the Russian oil company LUKoil to | 20 |
| open up its drilling site in the Baltic Sea, known as D-6, off | 21 |
| the coast of Lithuania for inspection by international | 22 |
| organizations and Lithuanian authorities, and to develop a | 23 |
| comprehensive plan with Lithuania and other concerned states to | 24 |
| deal with any environmental pollution caused by the oil | 25 |
| drilling and production at the site;
and be it further | 26 |
| RESOLVED, That we urge government officials, the | 27 |
| judiciary, and the media in Lithuania to address the current | 28 |
| political crisis surrounding the office of the President in | 29 |
| Lithuania in a forthright and transparent manner that will | 30 |
| serve to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law | 31 |
| in Lithuania; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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| presented to President George W. Bush, each member of the | 2 |
| Illinois congressional delegation, the embassies of Lithuania | 3 |
| and the Russian Federation, and to the national office of the | 4 |
| Lithuanian-American Community, Inc.
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