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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 24

Concerning the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 26, 1993

Mr. MORAN submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred

jointly to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concerning the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

Whereas there is worldwide concern over the escalation of violence in the former Yugoslavia, and particularly in

Bosnia-Herzegovina;

Whereas over 100,000 people have died and over 1,700,000

others have been rendered homeless in the course of the

conflict;

Whereas Serbian attacks have continued unabated against

helpless civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, both Muslim

and Christian alike;

Whereas inhabitants of regions which have fallen under Serbian control have been subjected to the practice of ‘‘ethnic cleansing’’ and massacres reaching genocidal levels

not witnessed since World War II;
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•HCON 24 IH

Whereas Serbian forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina have caused

innocent people to be killed, tortured, or driven from

their homes in violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949;

Whereas the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina face the threat of

death through starvation or exposure to extreme cold

during the winter months;

Whereas Muslim prisoners in Serbian prison camps have been

subjected to inhumane conditions, including torture, extreme food deprivation, and inadequate shelter and sanitation;

Whereas the United Nations, particularly the United States

and the European Community, must reassess and redouble their efforts to end the crisis and alleviate the suffering of the victims of the civil war;

Whereas preliminary talks on the future of BosniaHerzegovina have begun in Geneva between leaders of

various factions;

Whereas President Bush and French President Francois

Mitterand warned that the United Nations could move

quickly to enforce a ‘‘no-fly’’ zone over BosniaHerzegovina if the peace talks in Geneva fail;

Whereas the London Conference of August 1992, called on

all participants in the conflict to place their heavy weapons under United Nations supervision;

Whereas on August 13, 1992, the United Nations Security

Council adopted Resolution 770, which called upon states

to facilitate the delivery by relevant United Nations humanitarian organizations of humanitarian assistance to

Sarajevo and wherever needed in other parts of BosniaHerzegovina;
3

•HCON 24 IH

Whereas the world community, including the United States,

has not done enough to absorb or assist refugees displaced and ravaged by the war;

Whereas the recent presidential election in Serbia has not resulted in the election of officials who are committed to a

peaceful resolution of the crisis;

Whereas the United States Government has warned that in

the event of conflict in the formerly autonomous province

of Kosovo, the United States will be prepared to employ

military force against the Serbians in Kosovo and in Serbia proper; and

Whereas continued Serbian aggression could produce circumstances in which the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina

could explode into a general regional war: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

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

3 (1) hostilities, war crimes, and all violations of

4 human rights in Bosnia-Herzegovina should cease

5 immediately;

6 (2) in the event of continued Serbian attacks on

7 defenseless civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the

8 United States and the European Community should

9 persuade the United Nations Security Council to lift

10 the arms embargo against Bosnian Muslims so that

11 they may secure the means to defend themselves;

12 (3) the United Nations should promptly author13 ize the enforcement of the ‘‘no-fly’’ zone over
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•HCON 24 IH

1 Bosnia-Herzegovina to prevent Serbian military air2 craft from violating Bosnian airspace;

3 (4) the United States Government and the

4 members of the European Community, under the

5 framework of the United Nations and the Con6 ference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,

7 should propose and support decisive international ef8 forts to achieve a prompt cessation of hostilities and

9 alleviate the suffering of the civilian population in

10 Bosnia-Herzegovina;

11 (5) United Nations Security Council Resolution

12 770, which authorizes the use of all measures nec13 essary to deliver humanitarian relief whenever it is

14 needed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, should be fully imple15 mented;

16 (6) the conclusions of the London Conference,

17 including agreements between the parties of the con18 flict to collaborate in delivery of humanitarian relief

19 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, should be fully implemented;

20 (7) the United States Government should im21 plement the emergency provisions of the Refugee Act

22 of 1980 to admit Bosnian refugees to the United

23 States, with preference given to children, the elderly,

24 and individuals requiring urgent medical attention,
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•HCON 24 IH

1 while encouraging members of the European Com2 munity to initiate reciprocal action;

3 (8) the United Nations and all relevant inter4 national relief organizations should be given unre5 stricted access to all prisoners of war in the former

6 Republic of Yugoslavia to monitor human rights con7 ditions in the camps as demanded by United Nations

8 Security Council Resolution 770 and the Geneva

9 Conventions of 1949; and

10 (9) the United States Government, in conjunc11 tion with the United Nations and the European

12 Community, should support and encourage the for13 mation and development of an international war

14 crimes commission to assist in the prosecuting of

15 war crimes, including crimes against women, and

16 other human rights violations in Bosnia17 Herzegovina.

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