[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E567] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF ZURAB ZHVANIA, PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA ______ speech of HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA of american samoa in the house of representatives Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 108, commemorating the life of the late Prime Minister of the Republic of Georgia, Zurab Zhvania. I commend my colleagues, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Wexler, for introducing this resolution and I am proud to be a cosponsor. I want to thank them for providing us an opportunity to recognize the life and contributions of Prime Minister Zhvania to the cause of freedom. Mr. Speaker, on February 3 of this year, the Republic of Georgia suffered a tremendous loss with the untimely passing of their Prime Minister, Zurab Zhvania. An academic and unlikely political hero, Zhvania was elected to the Georgian national parliament in 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His passion and his eloquence brought him to the attention of Eduard Shevardnadze, and eventually to the office of Speaker of the Georgian Parliament. A champion of democracy and freedom of the press, Zhvania distanced himself from Shevardnadze and joined a party of young reformers who brought about the Rose Revolution in 2003. As the Prime Minister, Zhvania led the economic and social reform efforts that have transformed the lives of the Georgian people. His visionary leadership in guiding the Republic of Georgia as it reached independence, his commitment to the development of core democratic values, and his tremendous courage in the face of adversity, will make the late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania a towering figure in the history of the independent Republic of Georgia. ____________________