(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Soviet Union's decades-long occupation of Estonia was illegal and a violation of Estonia's sovereignty.
Expresses support for Estonia as a sovereign state and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Condemns: (1) recent acts of violence and looting in Estonia; (2) attacks and threats against Estonia's embassies and officials in Russia and other countries; and (3) political efforts to exploit the memory of the victims of the Second World War.
Urges all activists to express their views peacefully.
Honors the sacrifice of all those, including Red Army soldiers, who gave their lives to defeat Nazism.
Supports the government of Estonia's efforts to initiate a peaceful dialogue with the government of the Russian Federation.
Urges the governments of all countries to: (1) condemn the violence that has occurred in Estonia, Moscow, and elsewhere in 2007, and to urge all parties to express their views peacefully; (2) assist the government of Estonia in its cyber-attacks investigation; and (3) fulfill their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 187 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 187
Condemning violence in Estonia and attacks on Estonia's embassies in
2007, and expressing solidarity with the Government and the people of
Estonia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 3, 2007
Mr. Voinovich (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Smith, and
Ms. Mikulski) submitted the following resolution; which was considered
and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning violence in Estonia and attacks on Estonia's embassies in
2007, and expressing solidarity with the Government and the people of
Estonia.
Whereas, on April 27, 2007, the Bronze Soldier Soviet monument in central
Tallinn was moved to a prominent location in the Garrison Military
Cemetery as a result of a decision by the Government of Estonia;
Whereas the Government of Estonia communicated its reasons for this decision to
the Government of the Russian Federation and offered to work with
Russian officials during the process, which the Russian officials
declined to do;
Whereas, on April 27, 2007, a crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered at
the site of the memorial and riots broke out across Tallinn;
Whereas more than 153 people were injured as a result of the riots, and one died
as a result of stabbing by another rioter;
Whereas several stores in Tallinn and surrounding villages were looted as a
result of the riots, and a statue of an Estonian general was set on
fire;
Whereas, since April 27, 2007, the Government of Estonia has reported several
cyber-attacks on its official lines of communication, including those of
the Office of the President;
Whereas, on April 28, 2007, and in days following, the Embassy of Estonia in
Moscow was surrounded by angry protesters who demanded the resignation
of the Government of Estonia, tore down the flag of Estonia from the
Embassy building, and subjected Embassy officials inside the building to
violence and vandalism;
Whereas, on April 30, 2007, a delegation of the State Duma of the Russian
Federation visited Estonia and issued an official statement at the
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Estonia that ``the government of
Estonia must step down'';
Whereas, on May 2, 2007, the Ambassador of Estonia to the Russian Federation was
physically attacked by protesters and members of youth groups during an
official press conference;
Whereas, on May 2, 2007, the Swedish Ambassador to the Russian Federation was
attacked as he left the Embassy of Estonia in Moscow, and his car was
damaged by a crowd, resulting in a formal protest to the Russian
Federation by the Swedish Foreign Ministry;
Whereas the Government of Estonia has reported other coordinated attacks against
Estonian embassies in Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Riga,
Prague, Kiev, and Minsk, and the Estonian Consulate in St. Petersburg;
Whereas, on May 2, 2007, Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip stated that a
``sovereign state is under a heavy attack'' and that the events
constitute ``a well-coordinated and flagrant intervention with the
internal affairs of Estonia'';
Whereas, on May 2, 2007, the public prosecutor's office of Estonia initiated an
investigation into the cyber-attacks against Internet servers in Estonia
and requested cooperation from the Russian Federation to identify the
source of the attacks;
Whereas, on May 2, 2007, the European Commission expressed its solidarity with
Estonia and urged Russia to respect its obligations to the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations, done at Vienna April 18, 1961, and
end the blockade of the Embassy of Estonia in Moscow; and
Whereas the Embassy of Estonia in Russia has been closed since April 27, 2007,
and Estonia has suspended consular services to Moscow because conditions
remain unsafe for Embassy officials: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(a) it is the sense of the Senate that the Soviet Union's brutal,
decades-long occupation of Estonia was illegal, illegitimate, and a
patent violation of Estonia's sovereignty and right to self-
determination; and
(b) the Senate--
(1) expresses its strong support for Estonia as a sovereign
state and a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) as it deals with matters internal to its country;
(2) condemns recent acts of violence, vandalism, and
looting that have taken place in Estonia;
(3) condemns the attacks and threats against Estonia's
embassies and officials in Russia and other countries;
(4) urges all activists involved to express their views
peacefully and reject violence;
(5) honors the sacrifice of all those, including soldiers
of the Red Army, that gave their lives in the fight to defeat
Nazism;
(6) condemns any and all efforts to callously exploit the
memory of the victims of the Second World War for political
gain;
(7) supports the efforts of the Government of Estonia to
initiate a dialogue with appropriate levels of the Government
of the Russian Federation to resolve the crisis peacefully and
to sustain cooperation between their two sovereign, independent
states; and
(8) urges the governments of all countries--
(A) to condemn the violence that has occurred in
Estonia, Moscow, and elsewhere in 2007 and to urge all
parties to express their views peacefully;
(B) to assist the Government of Estonia in its
investigation into the source of cyber-attacks; and
(C) to fulfill their obligations under the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations, done at Vienna
April 18, 1961.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S5610-5611; text as passed Senate: CR S5610-5611; text of measure as introduced: CR S5603-5604)
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5610-5611; text as passed Senate: CR S5610-5611; text of measure as introduced: CR S5603-5604)
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