III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 391 

Calling on the President of the United States to engage in an open discussion 

with the leaders of the Republic of Georgia to express support for 

the planned presidential elections and the expectation that such elections 

will be held in a manner consistent with democratic principles. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 6, 2007 

Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. BIDEN, and Mr. DODD) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the President of the United States to engage 

in an open discussion with the leaders of the Republic 

of Georgia to express support for the planned presidential elections and the expectation that such elections 

will be held in a manner consistent with democratic 

principles. 

Whereas the Republic of Georgia, which is an emerging democracy strategically located between Turkey and Russia, 

is an important political and geopolitical ally of the 

United States; 

Whereas Georgia has made significant economic progress 

since 2000, with an economic growth rate that now exceeds 9 percent on an annual basis, and was named the 


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•SRES 391 IS 

top economic reformer in the world by the World Bank 

in 2006; 

Whereas the Government of Georgia has been a leader in addressing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction 

under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction 

Program; 

Whereas the Government of Georgia is working to become a 

candidate for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization (NATO) and the European Union; 

Whereas the United States Government strongly supports the 

territorial integrity of Georgia and works actively toward 

a peaceful settlement of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia 

conflicts that might lead those regions toward greater autonomy within a unified Georgia; 

Whereas the popular uprising in Georgia in 2003, the Rose 

Revolution, led to the establishment of democracy in that 

country; 

Whereas opposition parties in Georgia engaged in demonstrations lasting several days beginning on November 2, 

2007; 

Whereas the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, declared a state of emergency on November 7, 2007, after 

which the country’s main opposition television station, 

Imedi, was closed; 

Whereas Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza 

visited Georgia on November 10–11, 2007, and urged the 

Government of Georgia to reopen its private television 

stations, stating on Georgian state television: ‘‘A cornerstone of democracy is that all TV stations should remain 

open.’’; 


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•SRES 391 IS 

Whereas President Saakashvili ended emergency rule on November 17, 2007, and announced presidential elections to 

be held on January 5, 2008; 

Whereas the Government of Georgia has announced the reopening of the major opposition television station, Imedi; 

Whereas the Government of Georgia has invited international 

election monitors to oversee the elections and thereby 

contribute to greater international recognition of the 

Georgian political process; and 

Whereas freedom of the press, freedom of political expression, 

and a fair and impartial judiciary are among the most 

fundamental tenets of democracy: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the President should publicly state strong 

3 support for free and fair elections to be held in 

4 Georgia on January 5, 2008, in accordance with 

5 democratic principles; and 

6 (2) the Government of Georgia, in order to re7 store faith in the democratic evolution of the coun8 try— 

9 (A) must conduct free and fair elections, 

10 without government interference; and 

11 (B) must permit all independent media to 

12 remain open and report on the elections. 

Æ 


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