IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 214

Urging the President to promote political stability in Tajikistan through

efforts to encourage political resolution of the conflict and respect for

human rights and through the provision of humanitarian assistance and

(subject to certain conditions) economic assistance.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 3, 1994

Mr. ANDREWS of New Jersey submitted the following concurrent resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Urging the President to promote political stability in

Tajikistan through efforts to encourage political resolution of the conflict and respect for human rights and

through the provision of humanitarian assistance and

(subject to certain conditions) economic assistance.

Whereas the conflict in Tajikistan between the government

and opposition forces has caused the death of tens of

thousands of persons and has displaced 500,000 persons,

one-tenth of the country’s 5,400,000 people;

Whereas the conflict has been characterized on all sides by

gross human rights violations, abuses, and brutalities, including the murders of children, pregnant women, and

babies, widespread use of torture, and summary executions;
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Whereas governments have a particular responsibility to provide security for their citizens regardless of ethnic or regional background;

Whereas the number of human rights violations has diminished and the government has made progress in this direction;

Whereas the current violence in Afghanistan has the potential

to cause conflict along ethnic lines between Tajiks and

Uzbeks in Afghanistan, exacerbating the stressful situation in Tajikistan;

Whereas such a development could ignite existing tensions to

the north of Afghanistan;

Whereas a regional conflagration and the attending military

adventurism could encourage further Russian involvement, hindering economic and political reform in Russia

and other parts of the former Soviet Union;

Whereas a stable Tajikistan provides an invaluable buffer

zone between instability in Afghanistan and Tajikistan’s

neighbors who still possess nuclear weapons;

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has called upon

all parties to reach a political solution and seek national

reconciliation;

Whereas the Rome ministerial meeting of the Conference on

Security and Cooperation in Europe in November 1993

reiterated concern over the situation in Tajikistan and

expressed determination to help stabilize the situation;

Whereas through the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Tajikistan, negotiations are being planned;
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Whereas the success of a truly representative government will

assist with the development of a peaceful and stable

Central Asia and beyond;

Whereas the United States as the one remaining superpower

has a moral obligation to speak out in opposition to the

conflict and brutalities that have occurred in Tajikistan,

and to aid in the reconstruction of the country and encourage other nations to do so;

Whereas the United States has successfully responded to urgent needs for food and other humanitarian assistance in

the past;

Whereas food access rather than availability will be the critical problem facing Tajikistan during the remainder of

1994;

Whereas there remain large shortages of necessary building

materials, wheat, cooking oil, soap, and shoes;

Whereas the lack of fuel nationwide will delay food shipments

to Gorno Badakshan, creating severe food shortages in

that region, and has the potential to cripple the economy;

Whereas economic assistance can sometimes be given through

nongovernmental organizations, in the form of

microdevelopment projects, thus supporting the economy

from the bottom up;

Whereas continued support for the presence of the United

Nations and other international organizations and for

microdevelopment projects could encourage the peaceful

return and reintegration of refugees and displaced

Tajiks;

Whereas any unconditional economic assistance for the

central government in Dushanbe, by any party, amounts
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to a failure to take advantage of political leverage to support national reconciliation and human rights; and

Whereas the economy of Tajikistan is in transition and could

move forward or may collapse: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the

3 President—

4 (1) should support existing efforts at national

5 reconciliation in Tajikistan, including—

6 (A) those of the Conference on Security

7 and Cooperation in Europe, and

8 (B) the current diplomatic initiatives,

9 through the office of the Special Envoy of the

10 Secretary General of the United Nations to

11 Tajikistan, to convene negotiations leading to

12 an end to the fighting, democratic elections, the

13 creation of political parties, and the develop14 ment of a stable, pluralist government;

15 (2) should seek, through his good offices, to ob16 tain full respect by the Government of Tajikistan for

17 basic freedoms and internationally recognized human

18 rights, including full implementation of Conference

19 on Security and Cooperation in Europe commit20 ments;

21 (3) should maintain support for humanitarian

22 assistance to the people of Tajikistan, including as-
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1 sistance for refugees, internally displaced persons,

2 and returnees, with an eye for encouraging self-suffi3 ciency in as many sectors as possible;

4 (4) should urge the international community to

5 make similar commitments;

6 (5) should seek to ensure that a substantial

7 portion of assistance provided to Tajikistan is chan8 neled through nongovernmental organizations; and

9 (6) should seek to ensure that economic assist10 ance is provided directly to the Government of

11 Tajikistan only if it is making significant progress

12 in—

13 (A) protecting and facilitating the activi14 ties of human rights groups, including their

15 monitoring of human rights abuses by or upon

16 any party and the training of local human

17 rights organizations;

18 (B) participating in and otherwise facilitat19 ing conflict resolution efforts;

20 (C) terminating interference in the non21 violent activities of the political opposition;

22 (D) allowing the International Committee

23 of the Red Cross to visit prisoners in accord24 ance with its mandate, which includes private

25 interviews with prisoners;
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1 (E) participating in and otherwise facilitat2 ing the compilation of a list of all those who

3 have been extrajudicially executed or have dis4 appeared; and

5 (F) facilitating the protection and

6 reintegration of returnees.

Æ