CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA ON ETHIOPIA'S SECOND MILLENNIUM -- (House of Representatives - November 05, 2007)

Speech by Congressman   ENGEL

   I rise in strong support of this resolution.

   I first want to thank the gentleman from California, our colleague Mr. Honda, for this resolution congratulating the Ethiopian people for their nation's second millennium. I also commend America's large Ethiopian community, the Committee for the Celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium, and Ambassador Samuel Assefa and his staff for making the celebration in Washington, D.C. a truly memorable event. That celebration brought together the finest Ethiopian artists, musicians, scientists, and scholars from around the world for the purpose of making the event not just a social festival but also a learning experience.

   Mr. Speaker, Ethiopia is one of the most fascinating countries in the world. It is a country of great antiquity with a culture and tradition dating back thousands of years. The most recent humanoid remains yet discovered, known as ``Lucy,'' were found in Ethiopia.

   Modern-day Ethiopia is a multiethnic country with some 83 languages spoken, most of which belong to four main language groups. It is a multireligious country where for centuries, Christians, Muslims, and Jews have co-existed.

   In a region of the country known as Kaffa, Ethiopians in the ninth century discovered what we now know as coffee. Ethiopians still practice a traditional ceremony around coffee, a significant social event of the day for family and community.

   Today Ethiopia is an emerging democracy, a leader on the continent of Africa, and a friend to the United States. Ethiopia stood by the American people on September 11 and has continued to cooperate with the U.S. Government and the world community in the fight against terrorism.

   I wish to express our gratitude and to extend our best wishes to the people of Ethiopia as their nation observes the beginning of its third millennium.

Mr. BOOZMAN.

   I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 550, which congratulates the people of Ethiopia as they celebrate their second millennium. This commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the African continent and recognizes the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia and the United States.

   While much of the world celebrated the dawn of the second millennium in January of 2000, Ethiopia recognizes the Coptic calendar, which falls 7 years behind our own. This practice is in keeping with Ethiopia's long and rich cultural heritage.

Ethiopia is the only country on the African continent never to have been colonized and, in fact, played an important role in the liberation struggles of numerous other African countries during the colonial period. It continues to play an important role in promoting peace across the continent, both as a major supporter of peacekeeping efforts and the home of the African Union.

Ethiopia has served as a model of religious toleration in the region, a place where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have co-existed peacefully for centuries. Ethiopia also is home to countless historical artifacts and world heritage sites, including the earliest known hominid, Lucy; and the medieval rock churches of Lalibela, which have been recognized as a wonder of the world. All of these facts have contributed to the strong sense of pride and nationalism that Ethiopians enjoy today.

   And while Ethiopia continues to face significant challenges in terms of security and democratic and economic development, this is a country that has served as one of the strongest allies of the United States in the region. The value of our relationship should not be taken lightly.

   I was particularly pleased to learn that Prime Minister Meles, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, kicked off the celebrations in September by granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, including a number of opposition leaders.

   It is my hope that the spirit of rebirth and reconciliation engendered in the celebration will continue to take root as Ethiopia embarks on a second millennium.

   So I rise to congratulate our friends in Ethiopia on this joyous occasion, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

   With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

   Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

   Mr. Speaker, we have now concluded six bills that came out of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I just want to congratulate all the sponsors of the bills and the members of the committee. You can see these bills were all supported with strong bipartisan support. But I want to especially commend the staffs on both sides of the aisle for working very, very hard in getting these bills through.

   The very first bill we did was H.R. 1567, which was my bill, the Stop TB Now Act of 2007. And I want to especially commend my legislative director, Emily Gibbons, who was so responsible for this bill. If it wasn't for her, I don't think this bill would have come to its fruition. She was tenacious and was extraordinarily helpful to me in passing this legislation, and this legislation is clearly also a tribute to her fine work.

   So I wanted to mention that, and I wanted to again thank my colleague from Arkansas.

   Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 550, congratulating the people of Ethiopia on the second millennium of Ethiopia, and for other purposes, introduced by my distinguished colleague from California, Representative MICHAEL HONDA. This important legislation recognizes the significant efforts made by the government of Ethiopia to move forward in peace and stability, and it encourages our continued relationship.

Ethiopia is currently on the road to democracy. This is a path that should be paved with civil and political discourse, peaceful transitions of power, and respect for human rights. By necessity, the achievement of a modern democracy requires the implementation of electoral reforms, the separation of powers in the government, and the establishment of a truly independent judiciary. These are the founding principles of our American Republic, and I have seen firsthand the progress on the path to democracy Ethiopia has made since the brutal dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam was brought down in 1991. I strongly believe that the United States should do all it can to support this transition, including bolstering civil society and speaking out when fundamental human rights are violated.

Ethiopia has a long and proud history. It is the cradle of mankind, as illustrated by Lucy, also known as Dinkinesh (Amharic for ``you are wonderful''), which is the nearly complete hominid skeleton discovered by archaeologists in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia on November 30, 1974. Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago and has redefined science's understanding of human evolution. I was happy to work with Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis, Ethiopian Ambassador Samuel Assefa, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science to bring Lucy to Houston, which is one of only nine American cities and the only city in Texas to host the exhibit. The bones are currently on display in Houston, and will be until April 2008.

Ethiopia is also the oldest independent nation in Africa, has never been colonized, and is home to the African Union. Despite Ethiopia's rich history, however, recent decades have brought hardship and suffering to Ethiopia's people, through military conflict, natural disasters, and a military dictatorship.

   For over a decade in the House of Representatives, and prior to that in the Houston city council, I have been an outspoken and unwavering advocate for the country of Ethiopia and its people, both in Ethiopia and in the diaspora. Following in the legendary footsteps of my predecessor, Mickey Leland, who died attempting to alleviate the starvation faced by Ethiopia's innocent populace, I have been a champion of increasing foreign aid to, political, economic, and social cooperation with, and improving human rights in Ethiopia.

   Mr. Speaker, I believe this legislation is extremely important in encouraging the progressive strides of the government of Ethiopia. This legislation not only congratulates the people of Ethiopia on Ethiopia's second millennium and their long and rich history, but also commends Ethiopia's contribution to peace and stability on the African continent through its role in the creation of the Organization of African Unity. It further recognizes the longstanding Ethiopia-U.S. relationship and commends the organizers of the second millennium celebrations both in Ethiopia and the United States.

   I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation