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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The strong bilateral relationship between 
Greece and the United States was established at the 
very founding of both countries, and has continued 
to the present day. 
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(2) The founding fathers of the United States, 
many of whom read Greek political philosophy in its 
original text, drew heavily on the political experience 
and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming this 
country’s representative democracy. 
(3) 
Greek 
Commander 
in 
Chief 
Petros 
Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek state, 
said to the citizens of the United States in 1821 
that ‘‘it is in your land that liberty has fixed her 
abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall imitate our 
ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we suc-
ceed in resembling you’’. 
(4) The people of the United States generously 
offered humanitarian assistance to the Greek people 
during their struggle for independence, which the 
Greek citizens finally was achieved on March 25, 
1821. 
(5) Greece stood with the United States and Al-
lied forces in World War II, suffering thousands of 
casualties as they bravely fought to protect freedom 
and democracy on numerous battlefields, as in the 
historic Battle of Crete, which was the first major 
setback for the Axis land war and set off a chain of 
events that significantly affected the outcome of 
World War II. 
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(6) Throughout the 20th century, Greece con-
tinued to be a key support to the United States, and 
was one of a few countries that allied with the 
United States in every major international conflict. 
(7) During the war in Iraq, Greece immediately 
granted unlimited access to its airspace and the base 
in Souda Bay, and many ships of the United States 
that delivered troops, cargo, and supplies to Iraq 
were refueled in Greece. 
(8) Greece shares similar goals with the United 
States to promote peace and stability in the world, 
and in that vein has been an active participant in 
peacekeeping and peace-building operations con-
ducted by international organizations, including the 
United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation (NATO), the European Union (EU), and the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu-
rope (OSCE). 
(9) In an effort to further strengthen these 
bonds of friendship and commerce between our coun-
tries, Greece was formally included as a full member 
of the United States Visa Waiver Program on March 
9, 2010. 
(10) Achieving greater stability in the Medi-
terranean region is a key foreign policy goal of the 
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United States, which Greece supports in various 
ways, including through its historic initiatives for 
rapprochement with Turkey, through its support for 
sanctions on Iran, and, most recently, through the 
significant strengthening of bilateral relations with 
Israel. 
(11) Greece and the United States are at the 
forefront of the effort for freedom, democracy, 
peace, stability, and human rights, and those ideals 
have forged a close bond between Greece and the 
United States and their peoples. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the historic strong 
ties of friendship between the United States and Greece, 
which extend from the earliest foundations of the two 
countries until the present day, have been and continue 
to be invaluable to their growth, prosperity, and security. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States to pursue 
measures to strengthen the important cultural, diplomatic, 
and economic relations between the United States and 
Greece. 
Æ 
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