on October 23, 1989, in a public ceremony in Budapest, the acting President of Hungary declared the Hungarian state to be an independent, democratic Republic of Hungary;

this public ceremony was held on the 33d anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 revolution that was bloodily suppressed by Soviet troops;

this public ceremony was held in the same Kossuth Square where the first mass rally of the 1956 revolution was held;

as a further symbol of Hungary’s faithfulness to the legacy of the revolution of 1956, the declaration by the acting President was made from the same balcony from which Imre Nagy, the martyred Prime Minister of the revolutionary government of 1956, addressed the citizens of Budapest 33 years before;

the heroic revolt and freedom fight of the Hungarian people in 1956 was an inspirational event, reminding a generation of Americans of the sacrifices people are willing to undertake as the price of liberty; and

the present efforts of the Hungarian people to validate the legacy of the revolution of 1956 by establishing a free, independent, and prosperous Hungary have gained the sympathy and admiration of the American people.

congratulates the people of Hungary on the declaration of a Republic of Hungary committed to democratic principles; and

expresses its desire to enhance the friendly relations between the people of Hungary and the people of the United States and between their respective governments.