I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1337 

To support efforts by the Department of State to strengthen the bilateral 

relationship with Greece. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2011 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. JACKSON of 

Illinois, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. BERKLEY, 

and Mr. BERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To support efforts by the Department of State to strengthen 

the bilateral relationship with Greece. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The strong bilateral relationship between 

6 Greece and the United States was established at the 

7 very founding of both countries, and has continued 

8 to the present day. 


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1 (2) The founding fathers of the United States, 

2 many of whom read Greek political philosophy in its 

3 original text, drew heavily on the political experience 

4 and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming this 

5 country’s representative democracy. 

6 (3) Greek Commander in Chief Petros 

7 Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek state, 

8 said to the citizens of the United States in 1821 

9 that ‘‘it is in your land that liberty has fixed her 

10 abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall imitate our 

11 ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we suc12 ceed in resembling you’’. 

13 (4) The people of the United States generously 

14 offered humanitarian assistance to the Greek people 

15 during their struggle for independence, which the 

16 Greek citizens finally was achieved on March 25, 

17 1821. 

18 (5) Greece stood with the United States and Al19 lied forces in World War II, suffering thousands of 

20 casualties as they bravely fought to protect freedom 

21 and democracy on numerous battlefields, as in the 

22 historic Battle of Crete, which was the first major 

23 setback for the Axis land war and set off a chain of 

24 events that significantly affected the outcome of 

25 World War II. 


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1 (6) Throughout the 20th century, Greece con2 tinued to be a key support to the United States, and 

3 was one of a few countries that allied with the 

4 United States in every major international conflict. 

5 (7) During the war in Iraq, Greece immediately 

6 granted unlimited access to its airspace and the base 

7 in Souda Bay, and many ships of the United States 

8 that delivered troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq 

9 were refueled in Greece. 

10 (8) Greece shares similar goals with the United 

11 States to promote peace and stability in the world, 

12 and in that vein has been an active participant in 

13 peacekeeping and peace-building operations con14 ducted by international organizations, including the 

15 United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organi16 zation (NATO), the European Union (EU), and the 

17 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu18 rope (OSCE). 

19 (9) In an effort to further strengthen these 

20 bonds of friendship and commerce between our coun21 tries, Greece was formally included as a full member 

22 of the United States Visa Waiver Program on March 

23 9, 2010. 

24 (10) Achieving greater stability in the Medi25 terranean region is a key foreign policy goal of the 


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1 United States, which Greece supports in various 

2 ways, including through its historic initiatives for 

3 rapprochement with Turkey, through its support for 

4 sanctions on Iran, and, most recently, through the 

5 significant strengthening of bilateral relations with 

6 Israel. 

7 (11) Greece and the United States are at the 

8 forefront of the effort for freedom, democracy, 

9 peace, stability, and human rights, and those ideals 

10 have forged a close bond between Greece and the 

11 United States and their peoples. 

12 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

13 It is the sense of Congress that the historic strong 

14 ties of friendship between the United States and Greece, 

15 which extend from the earliest foundations of the two 

16 countries until the present day, have been and continue 

17 to be invaluable to their growth, prosperity, and security. 

18 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

19 It shall be the policy of the United States to pursue 

20 measures to strengthen the important cultural, diplomatic, 

21 and economic relations between the United States and 

22 Greece. 

Æ 


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