H. Res. 358

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

March 6, 2002.

Whereas the democratically elected Government of Colombia,

led by President Andres Pastrana, is the legitimate authority in the oldest representative democracy in South

America;

Whereas the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, is required to designate as foreign terrorist organizations

those groups whose activities threaten the security of

United States nationals or the national security interests

of the United States pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

Whereas the Secretary of State has designated three Colombian terrorist groups as foreign terrorist organizations,

including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

(FARC), the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia

(AUC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN);

Whereas all three United States-designated foreign terrorist

organizations regularly engage in criminal acts, including

murder, kidnapping, and extortion perpetrated against

Colombian civilians, government officials, security forces,

and against foreign nationals, including United States

citizens;
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Whereas the FARC is holding five Colombian legislators, a

presidential candidate, and Colombian police and army

officers and soldiers as hostages and has recently escalated bombings against civilian targets, including a foiled

attempt to destroy the city of Bogota’s principal water

reservoir;

Whereas, according to the Colombian Government, the FARC

has received training in terrorist techniques and technology from foreign nationals;

Whereas, since 1992, United States-designated foreign terrorist organizations in Colombia have committed serious

crimes against United States citizens, kidnapping more

than 50 Americans and murdering at least ten Americans;

Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration believes that

members of the FARC and the AUC directly engage in

narcotics trafficking;

Whereas individual members of Colombia’s security forces

have collaborated with illegal paramilitary organizations

by, inter alia, in some instances allowing such organizations to pass through roadblocks, sharing tactical information with such organizations, and providing such organizations with supplies and ammunition;

Whereas while the Colombian Government has made progress

in its efforts to combat and capture members of illegal

paramilitary organizations and taken positive steps to

break links between individual members of the security

forces and such organizations, further steps by the Colombian Government are warranted;

Whereas in 1998 Colombian President Andres Pastrana

began exhaustive efforts to negotiate a peace agreement
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with the FARC and implemented extraordinary confidence-building measures to advance these negotiations,

including establishing a 16,000-square-mile safe haven

for the FARC;

Whereas the Government of Colombia has also undertaken

substantial efforts to negotiate a peace agreement with

the ELN;

Whereas the United States has consistently supported the

Government of Colombia’s protracted efforts to negotiate

a peace agreement with the FARC and supports the Government of Colombia in its continuing efforts to reach a

negotiated agreement with the ELN;

Whereas the United States would welcome a negotiated, political solution to end the violence in Colombia;

Whereas, after the FARC hijacked a commercial airplane and

took Colombian Senator Jorge Eduardo Gechem Turbay

as a hostage into the government-created safe haven,

President Pastrana ended his government’s sponsorship

of the peace negotiations with the FARC and ordered Colombia’s security forces to re-establish legitimate governmental control in the safe haven;

Whereas President Pastrana has received strong expressions

of support from foreign governments and international

organizations for his decision to end the peace talks and

dissolve the FARC’s safe haven; and

Whereas the Government of Colombia’s negotiations with the

ELN are continuing despite the end of the negotiations

with the FARC: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That—

(1) the House of Representatives—
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(A) expresses its support for the democratically

elected Government of Colombia and the Colombian

people as they strive to protect their democracy

from terrorism and the scourge of illicit narcotics;

and

(B) deplores the continuing criminal terrorist

acts of murder, abduction, and extortion carried out

by all United States-designated foreign terrorist organizations in Colombia against United States citizens, the civilian population of Colombia, and Colombian authorities; and

(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives

that the President, without undue delay, should transmit

to Congress for its consideration proposed legislation,

consistent with United States law regarding the protection of human rights, to assist the Government of Colombia protect its democracy from United States-designated foreign terrorist organizations and the scourge

of illicit narcotics; and

(3) it is the sense of the House of Representatives

that the Secretary of State should designate a highranking official to coordinate all United States assistance to the Government of Colombia to ensure clarity of
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United States policy and the effective delivery of United

States support.

Attest:

Clerk.