III

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 218

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 29, 1998

Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concerning the urgent need to establish a cease fire in Afghanistan and begin the transition toward a broad-based

multiethnic government that observes international

norms of behavior.

Whereas peace and stability has not returned to Afghanistan

despite the February 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan;

Whereas the Department of State’s Country Reports on

Human Rights for 1997 states: ‘‘The overall human

rights situation [in Afghanistan] is poor * * * political

killings, torture, rape, arbitrary detention, looting, abduc-
2

HCON 218 RFS

tions and kidnappings for ransom were committed by

armed units, local commanders, and rogue individuals’’;

Whereas the continuing civil conflict in Afghanistan has had

a grievous impact upon the Afghan people, where within

its borders occurs the highest rate of infant, child, and

maternal mortality in the region;

Whereas neighboring countries have provided support in the

form of financial assistance and arms to the different

groups warring in Afghanistan, thereby extending the

length and expanding the destruction of this internal conflict;

Whereas another byproduct of this conflict is the harboring

of Islamic militants and terrorist leaders in Afghanistan;

Whereas due to the tyranny and destruction caused by

Taliban rule, Afghanistan is now one of the world’s leading producers of opium, and over the past year alone, the

production of opiates in Afghanistan has increased and

resulted in a growth in the drug trade not only in the

Central and South Asian regions but in Russia and the

West as well;

Whereas continuing instability serves as an obstacle to international investment and the establishment of developmental projects inside Afghanistan, so necessary to Afghanistan’s rejuvenation from years of conflict, and central to promoting political cooperation among Afghan factions;

Whereas the continuing conflict in Afghanistan serves as an

impediment to economic prosperity and political development throughout all of South Asia and the newly independent Central Asian nations as well; and
3

HCON 218 RFS

Whereas despite repeated efforts by the United Nations to

broker an end to continuing warfare among the country’s

warring factions, the absence of peace has prevented Afghanistan from addressing the numerous problems facing

its citizenry: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) acknowledges that, through determination,

4 tenacity, and courage, the Afghan people success5 fully waged a war against Soviet expansionism and

6 greatly assisted in bringing an end to the cold war;

7 (2) calls upon all warring factions and national

8 powers to participate in intra-Afghan dialogue (the

9 ‘‘Frankfurt Process’’) and in the peace process and

10 to actively cooperate in the acceleration of endeavors

11 for peace;

12 (3)(A) deplores continuing human rights viola13 tions occurring within Afghanistan, especially

14 against women and female children, who have suf15 fered condoned discrimination and harassment, and

16 the reported widespread execution of prisoners of

17 war and civilians evidenced by the discovery of mass

18 graves which contained an estimated 2,000 corpses;

19 and

20 (B) supports the intention of the United Na21 tions and the International Committee of the Red
4

HCON 218 RFS

1 Cross to continue their investigation into these re2 ported killings;

3 (4)(A) welcomes the appointment of Ambas4 sador Lakhbar Brahimi as special envoy of the

5 United Nations Secretary General for Afghanistan

6 and supports his efforts toward attaining a peaceful

7 negotiated settlement with the assistance of the six

8 nations bordering Afghanistan as well as representa9 tives from the United States and Russia; and

10 (B) encourages a role for Afghan leaders of all

11 factions and ethnic groups in the United Nations ne12 gotiation efforts, based on the fact that peace and

13 national reconciliation cannot be imposed on the Af14 ghan people by their neighbors;

15 (5) urges the nations of the region to cooperate

16 in the peace process and to end immediately the sup17 ply of arms, ammunition, military equipment, train18 ing or any other military support to all parties to

19 the conflict;

20 (6) urges appropriate parties in the United Na21 tions, Afghanistan, and its neighbors to work toward

22 the eradication of the production of opium, especially

23 in southern Afghanistan, and to link such efforts

24 wherever possible to realistic income alternatives;
5

HCON 218 RFS

1 (7) calls upon all parties within Afghanistan to

2 prevent the reoccurrence of actions which impede the

3 ability of humanitarian and international organiza4 tions to move food shipments and other forms of hu5 manitarian assistance into Afghanistan;

6 (8) acknowledges that due to the death and de7 struction wrought by the February 4, 1998, earth8 quake in northeastern Afghanistan, where approxi9 mately 5,000 people have died and an estimated

10 30,000 have been left homeless, there is a continuing

11 need for international emergency aid of food, cloth12 ing, and shelter;

13 (9) recognizes the continuing requirement to

14 address the needs of more than 2,500,000 Afghan

15 refugees in neighboring countries, three-quarters of

16 whom are women and children;

17 (10) acknowledges the necessity of international

18 efforts to clear the estimated 10,000,000 land mines

19 buried in the Afghan countryside; and

20 (11) calls for the expulsion of all known terror21 ist leaders from Afghanistan and the closing down of

22 all terrorist training camps operating in the country.

Passed the House of Representatives April 28, 1998.

Attest: ROBIN H. CARLE,

Clerk.