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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 364 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 364

   Expressing support for the internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 27, 2014

   Mr. Inhofe (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. 
Blunt, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Collins, 
and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Expressing support for the internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.

Whereas May 19, 2014, marks the 5-year anniversary of the end of the 26-year 
        civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the 
        Government of Sri Lanka;
Whereas the people of Sri Lanka suffered greatly as a result of this conflict, 
        the impact and aftermath of which has been felt by all, especially by 
        women, children, and families;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka established a ``Lessons Learnt and 
        Reconciliation Commission'' (LLRC) to report whether any person, group, 
        or institution directly or indirectly bears responsibility for incidents 
        that occurred between February 2002 and May 2009 and to recommend 
        measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future and 
        promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities;
Whereas the LLRC report was presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament on December 
        16, 2011, and officially translated into Sinhala and Tamil on August 16, 
        2012;
Whereas the LLRC report acknowledges important events and grievances that have 
        contributed to decades of political violence and war in Sri Lanka and 
        makes constructive recommendations on a wide range of issues, including 
        the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extrajudicial 
        killings; enforced disappearances; intentional targeting of civilians 
        and noncombatants; demilitarizing the north and the country as a whole; 
        reaching a political settlement with minority communities on the 
        meaningful decentralization of power; and promoting and protecting the 
        right to freedom of expression for all through the enactment of a right 
        to information law and additional rule of law reforms;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka developed the National Plan of Action to 
        implement the recommendations of the LLRC and has made significant 
        progress within limited time in the implementation of the National Plan 
        of Action, notably in the areas of demining, rehabilitation of ex-
        combatants, resettlement of displaced persons, improvements of 
        infrastructure and social services in the North and East, as well as 
        investigations into complaints regarding persons who have disappeared 
        during the war;
Whereas there have been reports of attacks on places of worship and restrictions 
        on the media in several places in Sri Lanka;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka expressed its commitment to address the 
        needs of all ethnic groups and has recognized the necessity of a 
        political settlement and reconciliation for a peaceful and just society, 
        which is a long-term process that will need to be driven by the people 
        of Sri Lanka themselves;
Whereas the September 21, 2013, elections in Sri Lanka for the Northern, 
        Central, and North Western Provincial Councils were an important step in 
        fulfilling this commitment;
Whereas these elections were made possible through a sustained effort by the 
        Government of Sri Lanka to restore infrastructure in the North and put 
        in place a system for the conduct of the elections;
Whereas the elections allowed the people of the North of Sri Lanka to exercise 
        their political rights that had been withheld from them for more than 20 
        years by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and resulted in a 
        clear victory for the provincial wing of the Tamil National Alliance;
Whereas Sri Lanka is enjoying rapid economic growth as an important hub for 
        shipping transport, technology, and tourism in the South Asia region;
Whereas Sri Lanka is of great strategic importance to the United States, due to 
        its location, deep-water ports, and proximity to the world's busiest 
        shipping lanes, an importance noticed and pursued by other significant 
        powers; and
Whereas Sri Lanka seeks to be a key United States partner in the fight against 
        terrorism and Indian Ocean piracy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls upon the President to develop a comprehensive and 
        well balanced policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United 
        States interests, including respect for human rights, 
        democracy, and the rule of law, as well as economic and 
        security interests;
            (2) calls on the United States Government and the 
        international community to assist the Government of Sri Lanka, 
        with due regard to its sovereignty, stability, and security, in 
        establishing domestic mechanisms to deal with any grievances 
        arising from actions committed by both sides during and after 
        the civil war in Sri Lanka;
            (3) encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to put in place 
        a truth and reconciliation commission similar to the one 
        adopted by South Africa to help heal the wounds of war, taking 
        into account the unique characteristics of the conflict and its 
        aftermath; and
            (4) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to improve religious 
        and media freedoms and to bring to justice those responsible 
        for attacks on journalists and newspaper offices as well as 
        places of worship, regardless of religion.
                                 <all>
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