104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 155
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Concerning human and political rights and in
support of a resolution of the crisis in Kosova.
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 155
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, adopted in 1946 and the amended Yugoslav
Constitution adopted in 1974, described the status of
Kosova as one of the 8 constituent territorial units of the
Yugoslav Federation;
Whereas the political rights of the Albanian majority in
Kosova were curtailed when the Government of Yugo-
•HCON 155 EH
slavia illegally amended the Yugoslav federal constitution
without the consent of the people of Kosova on March
23, 1989, revoking Kosova’s autonomous status;
Whereas in 1990, the Parliament and Government of Kosova
were abolished by further unlawful amendments to the
Constitution of Yugoslavia;
Whereas in September 1990, a referendum on the question
of independence for Kosova was held in which 87 percent
of those eligible to participate voted and 99 percent of
those voting supported independence for Kosova;
Whereas in May 1992, a Kosovar national parliament and
President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, were freely and fairly
elected, but were not permitted to assemble in Kosova;
Whereas according to the State Department Country Reports
on Human Rights for 1995, ‘‘police repression continued
at a high level against the ethnic Albanians of Kosova
. . . and reflected a general campaign to keep [those] who
are not ethnic Serbs intimidated and unable to exercise
basic human and civil rights’’;
Whereas over 100,000 ethnic Albanians employed in the pub-
lic sector have been removed from their jobs and replaced
by Serbs since 1989;
Whereas the government in Belgrade has severely restricted
the access of ethnic Albanians in Kosova to all levels of
education, especially in the Albanian language;
Whereas the Organization on Security and Cooperation in
Europe observers dispatched to Kosova in 1991 were ex-
pelled by the government in Belgrade in July 1993, and
have not been reinstated as called for in United Nations
Security Council Resolution 855 of August 1993;
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Whereas following the departure of such observers, inter-
national human rights organizations have documented an
increase in abuses;
Whereas the United Nations announced on February 27,
1995, that Serbia had granted it permission to open a
Belgrade office to monitor human rights in Serbia and
Kosova;
Whereas Congress directed the State Department to establish
a United States Information Agency (U.S.I.A.) cultural
center in Prishtina, Kosova, in section 223 of the Foreign
Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and
1993;
Whereas Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced
on February 27, 1996, that Serbian leader Slobodan
Milosevic has agreed to the establishment of such center
and that preparations for the establishment of the center
are proceeding;
Whereas, with the signing of the Dayton agreement on
Bosnia, future peace in the Balkans hinges largely on a
settlement of the status of Kosova; and
Whereas the President has explicitly warned the Government
of Serbia that the United States is prepared to respond
in the event of escalated conflict in Kosova caused by
Serbia: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the situation in Kosova must be resolved be-
fore the outer wall of sanctions against Serbia is lift-
ed and Serbia is able to return to the international
community;