IV

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 166

Expressing the sense of the Congress that every effort should be made

to assure the complete implementation of, and compliance with, the

December 1996 Guatemalan peace accords.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 2, 1997

Mrs. MORELLA (for herself and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that every effort should

be made to assure the complete implementation of, and

compliance with, the December 1996 Guatemalan peace

accords.

Whereas the peace accords signed by the Government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary

Unity (URNG) on December 29, 1996, represent a great

achievement for the Guatemalan people and for the signatory parties, and lay the foundation for achieving fundamental political and economic reforms and national

reconciliation;

Whereas specific provisions of the peace accords address critical issues that were root causes of the armed conflict or

were consequences of the war in Guatemala, including ac-
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cess to land and credit, racial discrimination, grave

human rights violations, the lack of effective law enforcement, military impunity, and the absence of democratic

government;

Whereas the parties to the peace accords agreed to implement

the December 1996 accords over a four-year period, with

compliance to be monitored and supported by the Guatemalan Commission for Accompaniment and verified internationally by the United Nations Mission in Guatemala

(MINUGUA);

Whereas international donors have pledged financial support

to implement the accords, especially those commitments

made to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule

of law, to improve the efficiency and availability of public

services, to promote more equitable economic growth, and

to raise living standards, focusing on the very poor, indigenous peoples, and women; and

Whereas the Clarification Commission created under the

peace accords to establish responsibility for human rights

violations committed during the armed conflict has a

maximum of one year to find the truth about many thousands of abuses committed over 36 years: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) commends the Government of Guatemala

4 and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity

5 (URNG) for their actions in carrying out the first

6 phase of implementation of the peace accords;
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1 (2) commends the Government of Guatemala

2 and President Alvaro Arzu for the steps they have

3 taken to tackle corruption and to strengthen civilian

4 control over the armed forces, and for putting in

5 place the joint action commissions that will play a

6 critical role in the implementation of the peace ac7 cords;

8 (3) commends the United Nations for its work

9 in facilitating the peace agreement and for its role

10 in verifying the accords, and the Group of Friends—

11 Colombia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the United

12 States, and Venezuela—for their support of the

13 peace process in Guatemala;

14 (4) notes the need for the greatest possible

15 democratic participation in implementing the ac16 cords, and calls on the Government of Guatemala,

17 the URNG, and the United Nations Mission in Gua18 temala (MINUGUA) to promote dialogue and con19 sensus-building with the political parties, the private

20 sector and civil society groups;

21 (5) notes with concern the continued involve22 ment of military intelligence in operational police

23 matters revealed in the ‘‘Mincho’’ case and calls

24 upon the Government of Guatemala, with the co25 operation of the URNG and MINUGUA, to conduct
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1 a full investigation into this case and to ensure strict

2 compliance with the provisions of the peace accords

3 regarding the role of intelligence structures;

4 (6) calls on the Government of Guatemala to

5 provide the fullest possible financial, logistical, and

6 other support to the Clarification Commission to

7 carry out its work, and to act upon the findings of

8 the Commission’s final report;

9 (7) calls on the Government of Guatemala to

10 continue strengthening the climate of respect for

11 human rights and interpreting the Law of National

12 Reconciliation in such a manner that those who com13 mitted human rights violations during the armed

14 conflict do not escape justice;

15 (8) calls on the Government of Guatemala to

16 continue to facilitate the return as quickly as pos17 sible of all Guatemalan refugees currently living in

18 Mexico who desire to return, as established by the

19 October 8, 1992, agreement between the Govern20 ment of Guatemala and the Guatemalan refugee

21 groups;

22 (9) calls on the Government of Guatemala to

23 take prompt measures, as required by the accords

24 and recommended by the International Monetary

25 Fund and other financial institutions, to increase its
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1 revenues, in an equitable manner, in order to imple2 ment the socioeconomic commitments of the peace

3 accords and to resolve peacefully and expeditiously

4 the many land disputes that have raised tensions in

5 the countryside;

6 (10) calls on the Clinton Administration to

7 monitor closely the peace process in Guatemala, to

8 support full implementation of the peace accords,

9 and to provide adequate funds for reconstruction

10 and development, with particular emphasis on

11 strengthening the justice system, building a new ci12 vilian police force, alleviating extreme poverty, and

13 ensuring the full integration of indigenous people

14 and women into the political and economic system;

15 (11) calls on the Clinton Administration to en16 sure that any United States assistance to the Guate17 malan military be limited exclusively to aid that car18 ries out the objectives of the peace accords of in19 creasing civilian control over the military, limiting

20 the role of the Guatemalan armed forces to defense

21 of sovereignty and national security, and fostering

22 greater respect for human rights; and

23 (12) calls on the Clinton Administration to sup24 port the work of the Guatemalan Clarification Com25 mission by speedily declassifying documents of Unit-
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1 ed States agencies that may shed light on human

2 rights violations committed during the Guatemalan

3 conflict and making those documents available to the

4 Commission and to the public.

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