IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 336

Condemning the Taliban regime and supporting a broad based government

in Afghanistan.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 8, 1998

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

to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Condemning the Taliban regime and supporting a broad

based government in Afghanistan.

Whereas the military defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, in which more than 1,000,000 Afghans lost their

lives, was a key contribution to the ending of the Cold

War;

Whereas upon the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States generally lost interest in the region and Afghanistan’s neighbors became more influential inside Afghanistan and the various Afghan factions

were thus unable to form a broad-based and representative national government;

Whereas in October 1994 a new force called the Taliban

emerged in Afghanistan, pledging itself to establish a

true Islamic government, disarm all other factions, elimi-
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nate narcotics cultivation, establish law and order, and

restore peace;

Whereas since 1994 the Taliban movement has, often

through force and terror, continued to expand its domination of more and more territory within Afghanistan,

while the movement itself has become more and more

militant and extreme in its actions and its interpretation

of Islamic principles;

Whereas the Taliban movement, especially key members of its

leadership, has become increasingly associated and deeply

involved with individuals and groups involved in international terrorism, including, but not limited to, Osama

bin Ladin, who was responsible for the August 1998 attacks on United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania;

Whereas those terrorist elements with which the Taliban are

associated are not only focused on separatist activities in

Kashmir but also significantly involved in anti-Western

and anti-American terrorist activities;

Whereas over 95 percent of heroin produced in Afghanistan

is from areas controlled by the Taliban and some large

portion of that heroin is sold on America’s streets and,

in spite of United Nations crop substitution program in

Taliban areas, poppy cultivation and heroin trafficking

have increased dramatically;

Whereas linkages have been established between Afghanistan

and terrorists who were involved in the World Trade Center bombing, the murder of Central Intelligence Agency

personnel in Langley, Virginia, and the recent bombings

of United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania;
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Whereas the inter-Afghan dialogue initiative began in early

1997 and has successfully held 3 major meetings, concluding its last gathering of approximately 200 Afghans

in Bonn, Germany, in July 1998;

Whereas the United States launched a limited attack against

terrorist bases in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on August 20, 1998;

Whereas the Taliban rule by fear and terror and systematically abuse the rights of all Afghans, especially women,

and are intolerant of non-Sunni Muslim believers, especially Hazara, many of whom are Shiite Muslims;

Whereas the Government of Pakistan has been a vigorous defender of the Taliban’s activities and tens of thousands

of Pakistani Taliban have linked up with Afghan Taliban

creating a transborder movement with growing influence

inside Pakistan;

Whereas reports of the persecution of Christians, Shiites, and

other religious minorities inside Pakistan are a growing

concern to Congress;

Whereas the Central Asian States, especially Uzbekistan and

Tajikistan, in addition to Russia and Iran have voiced

alarm at the fall of northern areas of Afghanistan, where

there has been almost no narcotics cultivation and where

all the major groups have been interested in strong and

close relations with the United States;

Whereas it is widely accepted in the region that the United

States Department of State, and consequently the United

States Government, supports the Taliban;

Whereas Congress has repeatedly condemned the activities of

the Taliban regime and urged more vigorous support for

efforts to form a broad-based government based on the
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inter-Afghan dialogue initiative, several of whose members have been executed by the Taliban for no apparent

crime; and

Whereas there needs to be a fundamental reappraisal of overall United States policy toward Afghanistan and its

neighbors: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the House of Rep3 resentatives and the Senate that—

4 (1) the United States should publicly condemn

5 the Taliban regime for its reprehensible atrocities

6 against human rights, in particular womens’ rights,

7 its embrace of international terrorism, and its will8 ing integration into a worldwide narcotics syndicate;

9 (2) the United States should recognize that it

10 will be better served by a comprehensive regional

11 strategy that addresses Afghan issues rather than

12 its current one that relies primarily on Pakistan;

13 (3) the United States should explore its mutual

14 interest regarding the danger of the Taliban with

15 other countries of the region;

16 (4) the United States should not grant diplo17 matic recognition to the Taliban or assist in any way

18 its recognition in the United Nations but rather

19 should support the inter-Afghan dialogue efforts to

20 form a truly representative broad-based government;
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1 (5) the Department of Defense should conduct

2 a vulnerability assessment of the Taliban regime;

3 (6) the United States should work to initiate

4 through the United Nations Security Council a ban

5 on all international commercial air travel to and

6 from Taliban controlled Afghanistan;

7 (7) the United States should call on the Taliban

8 regime to permit humanitarian supplies to be deliv9 ered without interference to all regions of Afghani10 stan;

11 (8) the United States should consider those Af12 ghans, especially known friends of the United States,

13 fleeing political persecution from the Taliban regime

14 to be refugees eligible for consideration for asylum;

15 (9) the Department of State should urge the Is16 lamic Republic of Pakistan to protect the rights of

17 Christians and Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and

18 should publish a special report to Congress on the

19 human rights situation in Pakistan, especially as it

20 affects religious minorities; and

21 (10) the Department of State should report to

22 the Congress concerning whether the Taliban, which

23 provides a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and

24 other terrorist organizations as well as illicit drug

25 monies which assist these terrorists, should be added
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1 to the list of designated foreign terrorist organiza2 tions.

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