Formal Recognition of Republic of Lithuania's Re-Declaration of its Independence

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RESOLUTION NO. 1774'.'. =90 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, IN FORMAL RECOGNITION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA'S RE- DECLARATION OF ITS INDEPENDENCE AND IN c0PPORT FOR AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF LITHUANIA IN THEIR DRIVE FOR INDEPENDENCE. WHEREAS, the nation of Lithuania is the home of a vigorous culture that traces its existence to the 13th century and whose people have long struggled to preserve their culture, heritage and autonomy; and WHEREAS, the Republic of Lithuania declared its independence on February 16, 1918 and functioned as a free notion until 1940; and WHEREAS, Lithuania, along with the other Baltic rmpublics of Latvia and Estonia, were forcibly occupied by ttn Soviet Union in 1940 and have been, for the past fifty ors, unlawfully subjugated by the Soviet Union; and WHEREAS, the Red Army has been an unwanted oppressive �"rce in Lithuania as a result of the secret and illegal IIDLOTOV- Ribbentrop pact between Germany and the Soviet Union 1940; and WHEREAS, the United States government, spanning every Eriministration since President Franklin D. Roosevelt, has never recognized the illegal annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union; and WHEREAS the Republic of Lithuania has always maintained diplomatic relations with the United States and its other Western allies; and WHEREAS, the people of Lithuania, through a free, ffemocratic and multi -party election, gave a clear mandate to --heir elected representatives on February 24, 1990; and WHEREAS, these freely - elected representatives voted, by s count of 124 to 0, to reconstitute the Republic of Mithuania by redeclaring independence from the Soviet Union 7n March 11, 1990; and WHEREAS the new president of the legislature of S.ithuania, Vytautas Landsbergis, has appealed for formal 3iplomatic recognition by democratic nations; and WHEREAS, these democratic developments in Lithuania represent the accomplishment of goals and aspirations long supported by the government as well as the people of the United State of America; and WHEREAS, the Soviet government has recently undertaken invert and aggressive actions - including military takeovers of key government buildings and the expulsion of all press from Lithuania - designed to intimidate the Lithuanian leaders;