H. Res. 181
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
September 18, 1995.
Whereas the United States has enjoyed a long and cordial
friendship with Sri Lanka;
Whereas as one manifestation of the warm ties between the
United States and Sri Lanka, the First Lady of the
United States visited Sri Lanka in April 1995;
Whereas Sri Lanka is a vibrant democracy whose government
is committed to political pluralism, free market econom-
ics, and a respect for human rights;
Whereas the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (‘‘LTTE’’)
have waged a protracted secessionist struggle in Sri
Lanka for nearly 12 years;
Whereas an estimated 30,000 people have died in Sri Lanka
as a result of these hostilities;
Whereas the Department of State’s report on global terror-
ism names the LTTE as a major terrorist organization;
Whereas the LTTE is widely believed to have engaged in po-
litical assassinations, including the murder in 1994 of a
leading candidate for the Sri Lankan presidency, and the
killing in 1993 of President Ranasinghe Premadasa;
Whereas the government of President Kumaratunga initiated
a dialogue with the LTTE in 1994, and took a number
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of other steps to ease tensions and set the stage for nego-
tiations between the government and the LTTE, includ-
ing lifting the ban on the transit of many commodities
to Jaffna;
Whereas a cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka went into ef-
fect on January 8, 1995;
Whereas 4 rounds of peace talks between the government and
the LTTE took place; and
Whereas in April 1995, the LTTE withdrew from these nego-
tiations and resumed military operations against the Gov-
ernment of Sri Lanka that have resulted in hundreds of
casualties, including many innocent civilians: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) notes with great satisfaction the warm and
friendly relations that exist between the United States
and Sri Lanka;
(2) applauds the commitment to democracy dem-
onstrated by the Sri Lankan people, in defiance of brutal
acts of wanton terrorism;
(3) commends the Sri Lankan people and the Gov-
ernment of Sri Lanka for the significant improvements
in Sri Lanka in the area of human rights;
(4) applauds the cessation of hostilities in early
1995 between the Government of Sri Lanka and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (‘‘LTTE’’) and de-
plores the resumption of fighting;
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(5) calls on the LTTE to desist in its resort to
arms, and to return to the negotiating table;
(6) calls on all parties to negotiate in good faith
with a view to ending the current armed strife in Sri
Lanka and to finding a just and lasting political settle-
ment to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict while assuring the
territorial integrity of Sri Lanka;
(7) believes that a political solution, including ap-
propriate constitutional structures and adequate protec-
tion of minority rights, is the path to a comprehensive
and lasting peace in Sri Lanka;
(8) denounces all political violence and acts of ter-
rorism in Sri Lanka, and calls upon those who espouse
such methods to reject these methods and to embrace
dialogue, democratic norms, and the peaceful resolution
of disputes;
(9) calls on all parties to respect the human rights
of the Sri Lankan people; and
(10) states its willingness in principle to see the
United States lend its good offices to help resolve the
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ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, if so desired by all parties
to the conflict.
Attest:
Clerk.