IV
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 502
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives congratulating the
people of Colombia for completing free and democratic elections on June
21, 1998, congratulating the President-elect on his victory, and calling
on the new government and all other parties to the current conflict
in Colombia to renew their efforts to end the guerrilla and paramilitary
violence which continues to pose a serious threat to democracy as well
as economic and social stability in Colombia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 15, 1998
Mr. GALLEGLY (for himself and Mr. ACKERMAN) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives con-
gratulating the people of Colombia for completing free
and democratic elections on June 21, 1998, congratulat-
ing the President-elect on his victory, and calling on
the new government and all other parties to the current
conflict in Colombia to renew their efforts to end the
guerrilla and paramilitary violence which continues to
pose a serious threat to democracy as well as economic
and social stability in Colombia.
Whereas on June 21, 1998, close to eleven million Colom-
bians went to the polls in a clear affirmation of the
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democratic process and cast their vote for a new Presi-
dent to lead that nation into the next century;
Whereas the citizens of Colombia, in voting in near record
numbers, not only cast their vote for political, economic,
and social reform, they voted for a mandate for peace,
expressing their discontent with the guerrilla war and
paramilitary violence and for the need for the government
to try to resolve the conflict;
Whereas an estimated 70,000 people have died as a direct re-
sult of the internal fighting over the last decade which
has resulted in the deaths associated with the guerrilla
and paramilitary violence as being the leading cause of
death in Colombia;
Whereas the recent surge of guerrilla and paramilitary vio-
lence has created more than 300,000 refugees over the
last three years and an estimated total of over 1,000,000
Colombians displaced by the violence over the past dec-
ade;
Whereas in the past eight months, paramilitary death squads
have massacred close to 100 civilians in the towns of
Mapiripan, Miraflores and elsewhere;
Whereas the operations of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army
(ELN) and the various paramilitary units have become
increasingly dependent on and interconnected with the
narcotics trade;
Whereas the FARC, the last known group to be holding three
United States missionaries hostage, refuses to release
these innocent individuals or account for their where-
abouts; and
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Whereas the continued campaign of the guerrillas and the
paramilitaries ultimately poses a major threat to the very
democracy of Colombia and stability of the region: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) congratulates the people of Colombia for
their recent demonstration of support for the demo-
cratic process as well as for political, economic and
social change in that nation;
(2) 
congratulates 
President-elect 
Andres
Pastrana for his election victory and for his commit-
ment to seek an end to the guerrilla and para-
military violence in Colombia;
(3) urges the guerrilla leaders of the FARC and
the ELN to end the violence, sever their relationship
with narcotics traffickers, and negotiate a peace ac-
cord with the new Government of Colombia and take
their agenda into the political arena for debate;
(4) urges the incoming government of Presi-
dent-elect Pastrana to take greater action against
paramilitary units that commit gross human rights
violations;
(5) calls on the leadership of the FARC and the
ELN to release any and all hostages currently being
held, including the three American missionaries, or
to account for their whereabouts;
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(6) calls upon the international community to
play a more proactive role in trying to resolve the in-
ternal conflict by encouraging all sides to return to
the negotiating table; and
(7) urges the current United States Adminis-
tration to reevaluate United States policies toward
Colombia, to commit to assist the new President-
elect to find a peaceful resolution to the internal
conflict, and to review the need for United States as-
sistance to help strengthen political stability and fos-
ter economic growth.
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