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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     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
 
12     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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1 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
 
7     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
13 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
 
32     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

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1 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.