,,iii ,calendar ,no4 #ccg #aafth        
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4 ,,res4   
#cdc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the    
,,united ,,states  ,september #bf1      
#bjai,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself1 ,mr4  
,johnson1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 
,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,ms4 ,ernst1 
,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,barrasso1 ,mr4      
,risch1 and ,mr4 ,manchin7 submitted the
 following resolution2 which was        
referred to the ,committee on ,foreign  
,relations  ,december #ag1              
#bjai,reported by ,mr4 ,risch1 without  
amendment  ,,resolution  ,congratulating
 the people of the ,czech ,republic and 
the people of the ,slovak ,republic on  
the #cjth anniversary of the ,velvet    
,revolution1 the #bfth anniversary of   
the formation of the ,czech ,republic   
and the ,slovak ,republic1 and the      
#ajast anniversary of the declaration of
 independence of ,czechoslovakia4       
,whereas1 on ,january #h1 #aiah1        
,president ,woodrow ,wilson1 in the     
,fourteen ,points address to a joint    

session of ,congress1 called for the    
free autonomous development of the      
peoples of ,austria-,hungary2 ,whereas  
the ,fourteen ,points address 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 independence 
from ,austria-,hungary on ,october #ah1 
#aiah2 ,whereas the peoples of the      
present day ,czech ,republic and the    
peoples of the present day ,slovak      
,republic proclaimed independence on    
,october #bh1 #aiah1 and ,october #cj1  
#aiah1 respectively1 forming the common 
state of the ,republic of               
,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas1 on ,november 
#ab1 #aiah1 the ,united ,states and     

,czechoslovakia established formal      
diplomatic relations2 ,whereas the      
,united ,states never recognized-- 7#a7 
the annexation of the ,czech            
,sudetenland by ,nazi ,germany in       
,october #aich2  7#b7 the subsequent    
establishment of a ,german protectorate 
over ,bohemia and ,moravia2 or  7#c7 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 ,whereas1 in ,february #aidh1  
the ,communist ,party of ,czechoslovakia
 seized power from the democratically   
elected government of ,czechoslovakia2  
,whereas1 on ,august #bj1 #aifh1 #bj    

,soviet and ,warsaw ,pact military      
divisions invaded ,czechoslovakia in    
order to crush the ,prague ,spring1 a   
period of greater political and economic
 liberty that followed the appointment  
of ,alexander ,dubcek as ,first         
,secretary of the ,czechoslovakian      
,communist ,party2 ,whereas1 in the     
nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution of       
,november #aihi1 the peoples of         
,czechoslovakia overthrew #dj years of  
totalitarian communist rule2 ,whereas1  
after the ,velvet ,revolution1 the      
peoples of ,czechoslovakia established  
vibrant1 pluralistic1 democratic        
political systems based on freedom of   
speech1 a free press1 free and fair     
elections1 the rule of law1 and         
individual rights1 values embodied by   
,vclav ,havel1 the first president of   
,czechoslovakia after the fall of       
communism in that country2 ,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  
the operations of the ,north ,atlantic  
,treaty ,organization 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 the shared values
 of democracy1 the rule of law1 economic
 liberty1 and individual rights and     
responsibility3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  
,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 commends the   
peoples of the ,czech ,republic and the 
,slovak ,republic for their considerable
 achievements in building free1         
democratic1 and prosperous societies    
over the past #cj years since the fall  
of communist dictatorship in            
,czechoslovakia2  7#b7 congratulates the

 peoples of the ,czech ,republic and the
 ,slovak ,republic on-- 7,a7 the #bfth  
anniversary of the formation of each    
country2 and  7,b7 the #ajast           
anniversary of the independence of      
,czechoslovakia2  7#c7 expresses        
profound gratitude for the sacrifices   
made by the people of the ,czech        
,republic and the people of the ,slovak 
,republic in support of the operations  
of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty         
,organization in ,afghanistan and       
elsewhere2  7#d7 reaffirms the strong   
historical and cultural ties that bind  
the people of the ,czech ,republic1 the 
people of the ,slovak ,republic1 and the
 people of the ,united ,states together2
 and  7#e7 expresses the continued      
commitment of the ,united ,states to a  
free1 peaceful1 and prosperous ,europe4 
,december #ag1 #bjai,reported without   
amendment