,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #fah  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,october #d1        
#bjai,mr4 ,visclosky 7for himself1 ,mr4 
,banks1 ,mrs4 ,dingell1 ,ms4            
,schakowsky1 and ,mr4 ,wright7 submitted
 the following resolution2 which was    
referred to the ,committee on ,foreign  
,affairs  ,,resolution  ,congratulating 
the peoples of the ,czech ,republic and 
the ,slovak ,republic on the #cjth      
anniversary of the ,velvet ,revolution1 
on the #bfth anniversary of their       
countries' independence1 and on the     
#ajast anniversary of ,czechoslovakia's 
declaration of independence4  ,whereas1 
on ,january #h1 #aiah1 ,president       
,woodrow ,wilson's ,fourteen ,points    
address to a joint session of ,congress 
called for the free autonomous          
development of the peoples of           
,austria-,hungary and became the basis  
for the founding of an independent      
,czech-,slovak nation-state2 ,whereas1  
on ,september #c1 #aiah1 the ,united    

,states recognized the ,czecho-,slovak  
,national ,council in ,paris as a de    
facto government at war with the ,german
 and ,austro-,hungarian ,empires2       
,whereas1 on ,october #ad1 #aiah1 the   
,czecho-,slovak ,national ,council      
formed a provisional government1 which  
declared its independence from          
,austria-,hungary on ,october #ah1      
#aiah2 ,whereas the peoples of the      
present-day ,czech ,republic and the    
present-day ,slovak ,republic proclaimed
 their independence in the common state 
of the ,republic of ,czechoslovakia on  
,october #bh and ,october #cj1 #aiah2   
,whereas1 on ,november #ab1 #aiah1 the  
,united ,states and ,czechoslovakia     
established formal diplomatic relations2
 ,whereas the ,united ,states never     
recognized ,nazi ,germany's annexation  
of the ,czech ,sudetenland in ,october  
#aich1 the subsequent establishment of a
 ,german protectorate over ,bohemia and 
,moravia1 or the creation of the ,german
 puppet ,slovak state in ,march #aici2  

,whereas the ,slovak and ,czech         
resistance movements against the ,nazi  
occupation1 with the support of the     
,czechoslovak government-in-exile1      
launched the ,slovak ,national ,uprising
 in ,august #aidd and the ,prague       
uprising in ,may #aide1 accelerating the
 collapse of the ,third ,reich and      
demonstrating the courage1 patriotism1  
and freedom-loving spirit of the ,czech 
and ,slovak peoples2 ,whereas the       
,communist ,party of ,czechoslovakia    
seized power from the democratically    
elected ,government of ,czechoslovakia  
in ,february #aidh2 ,whereas1 on ,august
 #bj1 #aifh1 twenty ,soviet and ,warsaw 
,pact divisions invaded ,czechoslovakia 
in order to crush the ,prague ,spring1 a
 peaceful popular movement calling for  
greater political and economic liberty  
that followed the appointment of        
,alexander ,dubcek as ,first ,secretary 
of the ,czechoslovakian ,communist      
,party2 ,whereas in the nonviolent      
,velvet ,revolution of ,november #aihi1 

the peoples of ,czechoslovakia overthrew
 #dj years of totalitarian communist    
rule and have since established vibrant1
 pluralistic1 democratic political      
systems based upon freedom of speech1 a 
free press1 free and fair elections1 the
 rule of law1 and individual rights1    
values embodied by ,czechoslovakia's    
first post-communist ,president ,vclav  
,havel2 ,whereas1 on ,january #a1 #aiic1
 the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak   
,republic were formally created as      
independent nation-states after a       
peaceful dissolution of ,czechoslovakia2
 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and the  
,slovak ,republic joined the ,north     
,atlantic ,treaty ,organization on      
,march #ab1 #aiii1 and ,march #bi1      
#bjjd1 respectively1 and have made      
significant contributions to ,,nato     
operations around the world2 and        
,whereas the peoples of the ,united     
,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the  
,slovak ,republic have forged a special 
relationship based on mutual respect1   

close cooperation1 and shared values of 
democracy1 the rule of law1 economic    
liberty1 and individual rights and      
responsibility3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  
,that the ,house of ,representatives--  
7#a7 commends the peoples of the ,czech 
,republic and the ,slovak ,republic for 
their considerable achievements over the
 past #cj years since the fall of       
communist dictatorship in building free1
 democratic1 and prosperous societies2  
7#b7 congratulates the peoples of the   
,czech ,republic and the ,slovak        
,republic on the #bfth anniversary of   
their independence and on the #ajast    
anniversary of ,czechoslovakia's        
independence2  7#c7 expresses profound  
gratitude for the sacrifices of the     
,czech and ,slovak peoples in support of
 ,,nato operations in ,afghanistan and  
elsewhere2 and  7#d7 reaffirms the      
strong historical and cultural ties that
 bind the ,czech1 ,slovak1 and ,american
 peoples together1 and expresses the    
,united ,states continued commitment to 

a free1 peaceful1 and prosperous        
,europe4