IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 374

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the ongoing

violence in Algeria.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 2, 1998

Mr. CHABOT (for himself and Mr. HASTINGS of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives

regarding the ongoing violence in Algeria.

Whereas in January 1992 Algerian military forces annulled

the second round of parliamentary elections and forced

the resignation of then-President Chadli Benjedid;

Whereas the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), which favored

the creation of an Islamic state, was presumed to be the

favored political party in those parliamentary elections;

Whereas the suspension of the Algerian elections triggered an

escalation of terrorism;

Whereas the Islamic Salvation Army (AIS), the armed wing

of FIS, started terrorist activities in the wake of the annulled elections, but has since declared a unilateral ceasefire;
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Whereas the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a nonpolitical radical Islamic movement, has been responsible for carrying

out the majority of recent terrorist activities, particularly

since the AIS cease-fire;

Whereas the United States Government has listed the GIA as

a foreign terrorist organization;

Whereas as many as 80,000 Algerians have lost their lives

since the onset of the violence in 1992, with 1,300 estimated to have lost their lives in the holy month of Ramadan that ended in January 1998;

Whereas the violence perpetrated by terrorists has become increasingly barbaric, leaving thousands of innocent civilians, particularly women and children, dead or injured;

Whereas the Government of Algeria has resisted the establishment of an international inquiry into the massacres;

Whereas the democratic process has progressed in Algeria despite the current terrorist activity; and

Whereas the United States has a strong interest in seeing the

development of a democratic and peaceful Algeria: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) strongly condemns the Armed Islamic

3 Group (GIA) and any other terrorist groups respon4 sible for the atrocities being committed in Algeria;

5 (2) condemns the perpetrators of violence and

6 other crimes against the fundamental human rights

7 of Algerians;
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1 (3) urges those who continue to engage in vio2 lence and the fundamental abuse of human rights to

3 discontinue such activity;

4 (4) calls on the Government of Algeria to take

5 all necessary and legal steps to prevent violence and

6 stop it once it occurs;

7 (5) encourages the Government of Algeria to

8 cooperate with the international community to en9 sure transparency in the investigation and combat10 ing of terrorist activity, including the use of objec11 tive investigators into the massacres;

12 (6) acknowledges that the Government of Alge13 ria has made progress toward democratization and

14 urges the government to engage in dialogue with all

15 elements of Algerian society who have renounced vio16 lence, in order to further democracy and promote

17 national reconciliation; and

18 (7) urges the United States Government to con19 tinue to work closely with the Government of Algeria

20 to bring about the development and implementation

21 of political and economic reforms as well as the full

22 restoration of law and order in Algeria.

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