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[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 76 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 76

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding a peaceful resolution of the 
   conflict in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 18, 1999

Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. 
 Torricelli, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Feingold, Mr. 
    Harkin, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Mikulski, and Mrs. Boxer) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding a peaceful resolution of the 
   conflict in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United States and Mexico have a long history of close relations and 
        share a wide range of interests;
Whereas a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Mexico is of vital importance to 
        the security of the United States;
Whereas the United States Government provides assistance and licenses exports of 
        military equipment to Mexican security forces for counter-narcotics 
        purposes;
Whereas the Department of State's 1998 Country Report on Human Rights Practices 
        in Mexico stated that a ``culture of impunity pervades the security 
        forces'' and documented human rights violations, including arbitrary 
        detention, torture, extrajudicial killings, and disappearances, by these 
        forces;
Whereas confrontations in August 1999, between members of the Mexican military 
        and supporters of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) in 
        Chiapas, Mexico, are representative of the political tension and 
        violence that has plagued the region for years;
Whereas the conflict has its roots in the poverty and injustice suffered by the 
        indigenous people of Chiapas, and shared by the poor in the neighboring 
        states of Oaxaca and Guerrero;
Whereas the lack of progress in implementing a preliminary peace agreement 
        signed in 1996 and the intimidating level of militarization by the 
        Mexican army, paramilitary groups, and the EZLN has resulted in the 
        forced displacement of thousands of indigenous people and exacerbated 
        the impoverished conditions in Chiapas;
Whereas on September 14, 1999, the Commission for Peace and Reconciliation in 
        Chiapas of the Conference of Mexican Catholic Bishops urged the 
        Government of Mexico to consider relocating military forces in Chiapas 
        to only those positions absolutely necessary to maintaining the 
        integrity and security of Mexico;
Whereas the Government of Mexico has devoted resources to reduce poverty in 
        Chiapas, but the breakdown in peace negotiations and the lack of trust 
        between the Mexican Government and some indigenous communities have 
        limited the impact of that assistance;
Whereas on September 7, 1999, the Government of Mexico pledged to renew dialogue 
        with the EZLN, support the formation of a new mediation team, and 
        investigate human rights abuses in Chiapas;
Whereas the EZLN has not yet accepted the Government of Mexico's overtures to 
        resume negotiations; and
Whereas the summary expulsions of American citizens and human rights monitors 
        from Mexico are inconsistent with the freedoms of movement, association, 
        and expression: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should--
            (1) take effective measures to ensure that United States 
        assistance and exports of equipment to Mexican security 
        forces--
                    (A) are used primarily for counter-narcotics 
                proposes; and
                    (B) are not provided to units of security forces 
                that have been implicated in human rights violations, 
                unless the Government of Mexico is taking effective 
                measures to bring the individuals responsible to 
                justice;
            (2) encourage the EZLN and the Government of Mexico to take 
        steps to create conditions for good faith negotiations that 
        address the social, economic, and political causes of the 
        conflict in Chiapas, to achieve a peaceful and lasting 
        resolution of the conflict, and to vigorously pursue such 
        negotiations;
            (3) commend the Government of Mexico for its renewed 
        commitment to negotiations and for establishing a date for the 
        United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit 
        Mexico to discuss human rights concerns there;
            (4) give a higher priority in discussions with the 
        Government of Mexico to criminal justice reforms that protect 
        human rights, emphasizing United States concerns about 
        arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial killings, and 
        disappearances, and the failure to prosecute individuals 
        responsible for these crimes; and
            (5) urge the Government of Mexico to implement the 
        recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human 
        Rights, particularly with regard to American citizens and 
        others who have been summarily expelled from Mexico in 
        violation of Mexican law and international law.
                                 <all>
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