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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 566 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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;
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 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
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
            (1) to call upon all parties in Kyrgyzstan to refrain from 
        violence and attend to the civilians who have been displaced or 
        injured as a result of the violence, paying particular 
        attention to the ethnic Uzbek population along the Kyrgyzstan-
        Uzbekistan border;
            (2) that the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan should--
                    (A) take immediate steps to restore order, the rule 
                of law, and the democratic process;
                    (B) address the underlying political, social, and 
                economic tensions that divide Kyrgyz society for all 
                citizens of Kyrgyzstan, regardless of ethnic 
                background; and
                    (C) bring to justice those responsible for the 
                recent violence;
            (3) to support calls for a full and fair investigation into 
        the causes of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan;
            (4) to welcome the commitment of more than $32,000,000 of 
        the United States Government to Kyrgyzstan for programs 
        supporting humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and community 
        stabilization;
            (5) to commend the Government of Uzbekistan for cooperating 
        with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the 
        International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and other 
        international nongovernmental organizations in meeting the 
        urgent needs of Uzbek refugees;
            (6) that the Government of Uzbekistan should maintain an 
        open border in order to ensure that the displaced and 
        vulnerable populations seeking refuge in Uzbekistan may avail 
        themselves of emergency humanitarian assistance and protection 
        services;
            (7) to call upon the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe to help restore calm and order through--
                    (A) strengthening the democratic institutions of 
                Kyrgyzstan;
                    (B) encouraging respect for human rights and 
                fundamental freedoms;
                    (C) establishing a framework for dialogue among the 
                ethnic communities; and
                    (D) promoting confidence building measures between 
                the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and ethnic 
                communities; and
            (8) to commend the efforts of relief organizations and all 
        persons responding to the immediate humanitarian needs of those 
        displaced by the recent outbreak of violence in Kyrgyzstan.
                                 <all>
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