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 follow-
ing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Re-
lations
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 an-
nulled elections, but has since declared a unilateral cease-
fire;
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Whereas the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a nonpolitical radi-
cal 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 esti-
mated to have lost their lives in the holy month of Rama-
dan that ended in January 1998;
Whereas the violence perpetrated by terrorists has become in-
creasingly barbaric, leaving thousands of innocent civil-
ians, particularly women and children, dead or injured;
Whereas the Government of Algeria has resisted the estab-
lishment of an international inquiry into the massacres;
Whereas the democratic process has progressed in Algeria de-
spite 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
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) strongly condemns the Armed Islamic
Group (GIA) and any other terrorist groups respon-
sible for the atrocities being committed in Algeria;
(2) condemns the perpetrators of violence and
other crimes against the fundamental human rights
of Algerians;
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(3) urges those who continue to engage in vio-
lence and the fundamental abuse of human rights to
discontinue such activity;
(4) calls on the Government of Algeria to take
all necessary and legal steps to prevent violence and
stop it once it occurs;
(5) encourages the Government of Algeria to
cooperate with the international community to en-
sure transparency in the investigation and combat-
ing of terrorist activity, including the use of objec-
tive investigators into the massacres;
(6) acknowledges that the Government of Alge-
ria has made progress toward democratization and
urges the government to engage in dialogue with all
elements of Algerian society who have renounced vio-
lence, in order to further democracy and promote
national reconciliation; and
(7) urges the United States Government to con-
tinue to work closely with the Government of Algeria
to bring about the development and implementation
of political and economic reforms as well as the full
restoration of law and order in Algeria.
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