III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 607 

Admonishing the statements made by President Hugo Chavez at the United 

Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006, and the undemocratic 

actions of President Chavez. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2006 

Mr. BUNNING (for himself, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 

CHAMBLISS, Mr. COBURN, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. VITTER, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. 

FRIST, Mr. KYL, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. COLEMAN, 

Mr. MARTINEZ, and Mr. BURNS) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Admonishing the statements made by President Hugo Chavez 

at the United Nations General Assembly on September 

20, 2006, and the undemocratic actions of President 

Chavez. 

Whereas President Chavez referred to the President of the 

United States as ‘‘the devil’’, and referred to the President as ‘‘the spokesman of imperialism’’ for the efforts 

of the United States to aid the citizens of Afghanistan 

and Iraq in the goal of those citizens to create a permanent and viable representative government; 

Whereas President Chavez made unsubstantiated claims that 

the United States had set in motion a coup in Venezuela 


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•SRES 607 IS 

on April 11, 2002, and continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere; 

Whereas, to consolidate his powers, President Chavez— 

(1) continues to weaken the separation of powers 

and democratic institutions of the Government of Venezuela; 

(2) survived a recall vote in August 2004 through 

questionably undemocratic actions; 

(3) decreed that all private property deemed ‘‘not in 

productive use’’ will be confiscated by the Government of 

Venezuela and redistributed to third parties; 

(4) enacted a media responsibility law that— 

(A) placed restrictions on broadcast media coverage; and 

(B) imposed severe penalties for violators of 

that law; 

(5) used other legal methods to silence media outlets 

that criticized his government; and 

(6) changed the penal code of Venezuela— 

(A) to restrict the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of association once enjoyed by the 

citizens of Venezuela; and 

(B) to increase jail terms for those convicted of 

criticizing the government of that country; 

Whereas, in an effort to destabilize the democratic governments of other countries in that region, President Chavez 

continues to support anti-democratic forces in Colombia, 

Ecuador, Peru, and Nicaragua, as well as radical and extremist parties in those countries; 

Whereas President Chavez has repeatedly stated his desire to 

unite Latin America to serve as a buffer against the people and interests of the United States; 


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•SRES 607 IS 

Whereas President Chavez has aligned himself with countries 

that are classified by the Department of State as state 

sponsors of terrorism; and 

Whereas President Chavez has developed a close relationship 

with the totalitarian regime in Cuba, led by Fidel Castro, 

and has also associated himself with other authoritarian 

leaders, including Kim Jong Il of North Korea and 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate condemns— 

2 (1) the statements made by President Hugo 

3 Chavez at the United Nations General Assembly on 

4 September 20, 2006; and 

5 (2) the undemocratic actions of President Cha6 vez. 

Æ 


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