III

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 218

On the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 25 (legislative day, MAY 16), 1994

Mr. SIMON (for himself and Mr. REID) submitted the following resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

RESOLUTION

On the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Whereas the ongoing war between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, supported in part by Armenia, and Azerbaijanis

has caused untold suffering on all sides, including economic deprivations, military and civilian casualties, and

substantial movements of refugees;

Whereas this prolonged conflict is undermining the ability of

both Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish their identities

as fully sovereign and independent members of the international community, which the United States supports;

Whereas the Minsk Group of the Conference on Security and

Cooperation in Europe, under the chairmanship of Jan

Eliasson of Sweden and with the participation of U.S.,

Armenian, Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian, and Azerbaijani

representatives, succeeded in creating a package of con-
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fidence-building measures including delivery of humanitarian supplies and access to or the release of prisoners

of war;

Whereas the Government of Azerbaijan has indicated a willingness to resume normal economic relations with Armenia and to negotiate a status for Nagorno-Karabakh

based on substantial autonomy, a willingness that should

be explored;

Whereas the Government of Armenia and, to a lesser extent,

the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh have demonstrated

their willingness to resolve the conflict on mutually agreeable terms; and

Whereas section 907 of Public Law 102–511 (‘‘Freedom

Support Act of 1992’’) prohibits the provision of U.S. assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines that the Government of Azerbaijan is

taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and

other offensive uses of force against Armenia and

Nagorno-Karabakh: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) the President should direct that halting the

3 war between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Ar4 menians on one side, and Azerbaijanis on the other,

5 should be a high priority of United States foreign

6 policy;

7 (2) the President, acting through the Secretary

8 of State, should immediately launch a new high-level

9 diplomatic initiative to stop the war, based on the

10 Minsk process, including representatives of Russia
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1 and other parties to the conflict, and making clear

2 that—

3 (A) the United States calls on the parties

4 to adopt and implement substantial confidence5 building measures including the lifting of bar6 riers to shipment of humanitarian supplies, and

7 take immediate concrete steps to lift economic

8 blockades and resume normal economic rela9 tions;

10 (B) the United States calls on the parties

11 immediately to discontinue all offensive military

12 operations on territory which both Armenia and

13 Azerbaijan acknowledge to be the territory of

14 the other state, and to withdraw their forces

15 from such territory and show full respect for

16 the sovereignty and integrity of territory which

17 is not disputed;

18 (C) the United Nations should be enlisted

19 to send observers to the region—including U.S.

20 observers—to monitor the implementation of an

21 effective cease-fire agreed by all the parties;

22 (D) the United States can only support a

23 settlement of the conflict which is accepted by

24 all the parties with the backing of the Con25 ference on Security and Cooperation in Europe;
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1 (E) the United States will use all its influ2 ence to oppose any further sale, provision, or

3 transfer, by any country, of weapons and war

4 material to Armenia, to the Nagorno-Karabakh

5 Armenians, or to Azerbaijan which could be

6 used for purposes of prolonging the war; and

7 (F) the United States is prepared to

8 launch a Trans-Caucasus Enterprise Fund, to

9 include Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as

10 an incentive for the lifting of blockades and im11 plementation of an effective cease-fire, which

12 will promote regional peace and economic pros13 perity;

14 (3) the Senate welcomes the administration’s

15 efforts to provide kerosene, seed wheat, and other

16 urgently-needed humanitarian supplies to Armenia,

17 as well as technical assistance for the transformation

18 to the market economy;

19 (4) the Senate welcomes steps taken by the ad20 ministration to extend U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan

21 through the vehicle of non-governmental organiza22 tions; and

23 (5) section 907 of the Freedom Support Act

24 (Public Law 102–511) was not intended as an anti25 Azeri initiative, is not so viewed today, and it should
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1 be repealed as soon as Azerbaijani blockades are

2 lifted.

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