IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 361

Commending the Republic of Benin.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 22, 2000

Mr. ACKERMAN (for himself, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Mr. HALL of Ohio)

submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Commending the Republic of Benin.

Whereas in 1990 the Republic of Benin made a smooth transition from Marxist rule to a constitutional democracy;

Whereas His Excellency President Mathieu Kerekou established an important precedent and demonstrated his commitment to democracy by relinquishing office after the

first democratic elections in the Republic of Benin in

1991;

Whereas President Kerekou regained the Office of the Presidency through free, fair, and democratic elections in

1996;

Whereas on March 30, 1999, the Republic of Benin conducted free, fair, and transparent elections for parliament
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which resulted in significant gains for opposition political

parties demonstrating Benin’s political pluralism;

Whereas over the last decade, the Republic of Benin has become the most stable, democratic nation in West Africa

and is committed to promoting democracy throughout Africa;

Whereas the government of President Kerekou demonstrated

its commitment to reconciliation between the nations of

Africa involved in the slave trade and African-Americans

by establishing a Conference on Reconciliation held in

Cotonou, Republic of Benin, in December 1999;

Whereas the Republic of Benin is a nation that is truly respectful of human rights and political freedoms and is

among the nations in the world not to have a single political prisoner;

Whereas the Republic of Benin is a nation where there is a

true commitment to individual liberties, including the

freedoms of assembly, association, and of religion;

Whereas the Republic of Benin is committed to improving the

life of the people of Benin, as well as the lives of all Africans, by encouraging free markets and privatization of

state-owned enterprises, investment, and competition

among international business, and by creating a stable

and secure environment for international businesses to

operate; and

Whereas President Clinton has recognized that the Republic

of Benin qualifies for the G–7 debt-relief program, due

to its effective management of its limited fiscal resources:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—
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1 (1) commends President Kerekou for his out2 standing leadership and the people of the Republic

3 of Benin for their commitment to democracy;

4 (2) believes that the United States should en5 hance its efforts to consolidate democracy and free

6 enterprise in the Republic of Benin;

7 (3) urges the Administration to leverage United

8 States assistance to the Republic of Benin in order

9 to mobilize greater foreign direct investment in

10 Benin; and

11 (4) encourages other nations throughout the de12 veloping world to emulate the Republic of Benin’s

13 example as a bastion of peace, security, free enter14 prise, and religious tolerance.

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