III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 566 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the situation in Kyrgyzstan. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 25, 2010 

Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mr. LUGAR) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the situation 

in Kyrgyzstan. 

Whereas on June 10, 2010, violence erupted between ethnic 

Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern city of 

Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and later spread to the city of 

Jalalabad, leaving at least several hundred dead and 

thousands injured; 

Whereas the outbreak of violence forced as many as 400,000 

people to flee their homes, including an estimated 

100,000 women and children who face desperate conditions along the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border; 

Whereas the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and 

other United Nations agencies estimate that the violence 

could directly or indirectly affect more than 1,000,000 

people; 


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•SRES 566 ATS 

Whereas the displacement of ethnic Uzbeks and continuing 

instability in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan could destabilize the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and 

undermine the legitimacy of the referendum on constitutional reform scheduled for June 27, 2010; 

Whereas the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan, which 

came to power in April 2010 following large-scale opposition protests against the regime of former president 

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has yet to fully extend its authority 

in the south and build the capacity necessary to address 

underlying political, social, and economic tensions; 

Whereas Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in Osh have retreated into 

largely self-segregated neighborhoods, creating the potential for a permanent division into ethnic enclaves that 

could impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance and 

jeopardize the long-term stability of the country; 

Whereas rioting and violence in southern Kyrgyzstan could 

spread to other areas in the Ferghana Valley, which 

spans the countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and 

Tajikistan, and further exacerbate inter-ethnic competition for resources in the region; 

Whereas protracted instability in Kyrgyzstan and the wider 

region could provide a safe haven for extremists and 

criminal networks and obstruct efforts to combat the 

drug trade; 

Whereas stability in Kyrgyzstan and the broader Central Asia 

region, which borders Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Russia, is important to the national security interests of the 

United States; 

Whereas Central Asia plays a vital role in the United States 

strategy for Afghanistan, including the transit center at 


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Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan that forms an 

integral part of the northern supply route for North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United States-led coalition operations in Afghanistan; 

Whereas promoting stability, respect for human rights, and 

economic and political reform in Central Asia are important priorities for the United States; 

Whereas economic growth and democratic political development in Central Asia would provide a foundation for improved cooperation with the United States in confronting 

an array of global challenges, from nonproliferation and 

counter-narcotics to energy security and climate change; 

and 

Whereas the potential for escalating violence in Kyrgyzstan 

concerns not only the United States and the people of 

Kyrgyzstan, but also the countries in the region and the 

international community: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate— 

2 (1) to call upon all parties in Kyrgyzstan to re3 frain from violence and attend to the civilians who 

4 have been displaced or injured as a result of the vio5 lence, paying particular attention to the ethnic 

6 Uzbek population along the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan 

7 border; 

8 (2) that the Provisional Government of 

9 Kyrgyzstan should— 

10 (A) take immediate steps to restore order, 

11 the rule of law, and the democratic process; 


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1 (B) address the underlying political, social, 

2 and economic tensions that divide Kyrgyz soci3 ety for all citizens of Kyrgyzstan, regardless of 

4 ethnic background; and 

5 (C) bring to justice those responsible for 

6 the recent violence; 

7 (3) to support calls for a full and fair investiga8 tion into the causes of the violence in southern 

9 Kyrgyzstan; 

10 (4) to welcome the commitment of more than 

11 $32,000,000 of the United States Government to 

12 Kyrgyzstan for programs supporting humanitarian 

13 relief, reconstruction, and community stabilization; 

14 (5) to commend the Government of Uzbekistan 

15 for cooperating with the United Nations High Com16 missioner for Refugees, the International Committee 

17 of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and other international 

18 nongovernmental organizations in meeting the ur19 gent needs of Uzbek refugees; 

20 (6) that the Government of Uzbekistan should 

21 maintain an open border in order to ensure that the 

22 displaced and vulnerable populations seeking refuge 

23 in Uzbekistan may avail themselves of emergency 

24 humanitarian assistance and protection services; 


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1 (7) to call upon the Organization for Security 

2 and Cooperation in Europe to help restore calm and 

3 order through— 

4 (A) strengthening the democratic institu5 tions of Kyrgyzstan; 

6 (B) encouraging respect for human rights 

7 and fundamental freedoms; 

8 (C) establishing a framework for dialogue 

9 among the ethnic communities; and 

10 (D) promoting confidence building meas11 ures between the Provisional Government of 

12 Kyrgyzstan and ethnic communities; and 

13 (8) to commend the efforts of relief organiza14 tions and all persons responding to the immediate 

15 humanitarian needs of those displaced by the recent 

16 outbreak of violence in Kyrgyzstan. 

Æ 


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