IV

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 125

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should suspend the

proposed sale of the Army Tactical Missile System to the Government

of the Republic of Turkey until that government takes significant and

concrete steps to end the military occupation of Cyprus, lift its blockade

of Armenia, cease its ongoing campaign against the Kurdish people

and demonstrate progress on the protection of human and civil rights

within Turkey.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

DECEMBER 22, 1995

Mr. PALLONE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should

suspend the proposed sale of the Army Tactical Missile

System to the Government of the Republic of Turkey

until that government takes significant and concrete

steps to end the military occupation of Cyprus, lift its

blockade of Armenia, cease its ongoing campaign against

the Kurdish people and demonstrate progress on the

protection of human and civil rights within Turkey.

Whereas the Administration has proposed the foreign military

sale to the Republic of Turkey of 120 Army Tactical Missiles (ATACMS), a ground-launched surface-to-surface,

conventional, semi-guided ballistic missile which carries
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HCON 125 IH

an anti-personnel/anti-material cluster warhead capable

of spraying shrapnel over a 150-square-meter area;

Whereas this weapon system has not previously been sold to

any other foreign government;

Whereas the Government of Turkey is conducting a war

against the Kurds within Turkey and has made incursions into Kurdish areas of Iraq, resulting in thousands

of civilian casualties and millions of refugees;

Whereas Turkey continues its occupation of one-third of the

territory of Cyprus, having declared a ‘‘Northern Republic of Cyprus,’’ an entity that has no international recognition, and resisting good-faith efforts of the United

States, Greece, and other nations and international bodies to end the conflict;

Whereas the Government of Turkey maintains a blockade of

its border with the Republic of Armenia, which has

blocked the delivery of American humanitarian aid to Armenia and complicated its delivery;

Whereas evidence has linked Turkey to the unauthorized

transfer of United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization weapons to the Republic of Azerbaijan;

Whereas international human rights organizations continue

to cite Turkey for egregious violations of the basic human

rights and freedoms of its own citizens; and

Whereas the sale of this weapons system to the Government

of Turkey is thus objectionable on many grounds: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the House of Rep3 resentatives that the President should suspend the pro-
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1 posed sale of the Army Tactical Missile System to the Gov2 ernment of Turkey until—

3 (1) such Government moves to end its occupa4 tion of Cyprus;

5 (2) lifts its embargo of Armenia;

6 (3) ceases its military campaign against the

7 Kurdish people; and

8 (4) takes constructive steps to improve its do9 mestic human rights record.

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