•HCON 336 IH
Whereas the inter-Afghan dialogue initiative began in early
1997 and has successfully held 3 major meetings, con-
cluding its last gathering of approximately 200 Afghans
in Bonn, Germany, in July 1998;
Whereas the United States launched a limited attack against
terrorist bases in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on Au-
gust 20, 1998;
Whereas the Taliban rule by fear and terror and systemati-
cally abuse the rights of all Afghans, especially women,
and are intolerant of non-Sunni Muslim believers, espe-
cially Hazara, many of whom are Shiite Muslims;
Whereas the Government of Pakistan has been a vigorous de-
fender of the Taliban’s activities and tens of thousands
of Pakistani Taliban have linked up with Afghan Taliban
creating a transborder movement with growing influence
inside Pakistan;
Whereas reports of the persecution of Christians, Shiites, and
other religious minorities inside Pakistan are a growing
concern to Congress;
Whereas the Central Asian States, especially Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan, in addition to Russia and Iran have voiced
alarm at the fall of northern areas of Afghanistan, where
there has been almost no narcotics cultivation and where
all the major groups have been interested in strong and
close relations with the United States;
Whereas it is widely accepted in the region that the United
States Department of State, and consequently the United
States Government, supports the Taliban;
Whereas Congress has repeatedly condemned the activities of
the Taliban regime and urged more vigorous support for
efforts to form a broad-based government based on the
•HCON 336 IH
inter-Afghan dialogue initiative, several of whose mem-
bers have been executed by the Taliban for no apparent
crime; and
Whereas there needs to be a fundamental reappraisal of over-
all United States policy toward Afghanistan and its
neighbors: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate that—
(1) the United States should publicly condemn
the Taliban regime for its reprehensible atrocities
against human rights, in particular womens’ rights,
its embrace of international terrorism, and its will-
ing integration into a worldwide narcotics syndicate;
(2) the United States should recognize that it
will be better served by a comprehensive regional
strategy that addresses Afghan issues rather than
its current one that relies primarily on Pakistan;
(3) the United States should explore its mutual
interest regarding the danger of the Taliban with
other countries of the region;
(4) the United States should not grant diplo-
matic recognition to the Taliban or assist in any way
its recognition in the United Nations but rather
should support the inter-Afghan dialogue efforts to
form a truly representative broad-based government;
•HCON 336 IH
(5) the Department of Defense should conduct
a vulnerability assessment of the Taliban regime;
(6) the United States should work to initiate
through the United Nations Security Council a ban
on all international commercial air travel to and
from Taliban controlled Afghanistan;
(7) the United States should call on the Taliban
regime to permit humanitarian supplies to be deliv-
ered without interference to all regions of Afghani-
stan;
(8) the United States should consider those Af-
ghans, especially known friends of the United States,
fleeing political persecution from the Taliban regime
to be refugees eligible for consideration for asylum;
(9) the Department of State should urge the Is-
lamic Republic of Pakistan to protect the rights of
Christians and Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and
should publish a special report to Congress on the
human rights situation in Pakistan, especially as it
affects religious minorities; and
(10) the Department of State should report to
the Congress concerning whether the Taliban, which
provides a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and
other terrorist organizations as well as illicit drug
monies which assist these terrorists, should be added
•HCON 336 IH
to the list of designated foreign terrorist organiza-
tions.
Æ