IV
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 32
Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to self-determination for
the people of Kosova, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 11, 1999
Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. OLVER, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. MORAN of
Virginia, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr.
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. HEFLEY, Mrs. LOWEY,
Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. FORBES,
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. MALONEY of Con-
necticut, and Mr. CROWLEY) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to self-
determination for the people of Kosova, and for other
purposes.
Whereas under the United Nations Charter and numerous
other binding international agreements friendly relations
among nations are based on the principles of equal rights
and self-determination of peoples;
Whereas the Helsinki Final Act, to which the Socialist Fed-
eral Republic of Yugoslavia was a party, states that ‘‘all
peoples have the right, in full freedom, to determine,
when and as they wish, their internal and external politi-
cal status, without external interference, and to pursue as
•HCON 32 IH
Yugoslavia revoked the autonomous status of Kosova by
amending the Yugoslav Constitution without the consent
of Kosova, as was constitutionally required;
Whereas Kosova meets many of the traditional indicia of
statehood, such as defined boundaries, democratically
elected national leadership, existing government-style in-
stitutions, and a common language, heritage, and cultural
identity for more than the vast majority of the popu-
lation;
Whereas in September 1990, the people of Kosova expressed
their overwhelming desire for independence in a referen-
dum on the question of independence for Kosova in which
87 percent of those eligible to participate voted and 99
percent of those who voted supported independence for
Kosova;
Whereas throughout the 1990’s, the people of Kosova have
peacefully operated a shadow government, separate from
the Serbian and Yugoslav authorities, which has governed
the overwhelming majority of the population of Kosova;
Whereas since 1989 the majority of the population of Kosova,
92 percent of whom are ethnically Albanian, has been
subject to official discrimination including the removal of
Albanian students from public schools and the University
of Pristina and the firing of more than 100,000 Alba-
nians from the civil service and police;
Whereas since 1989 the people of Kosova have been subject
to egregious human rights abuses, and according to the
Department of State’s Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices for 1997, the most widespread and
worst abuses in Serbia and Montenegro were committed
•HCON 32 IH
by the police against the ethnic Albanian population of
Kosova;
Whereas during and since 1998, the people of Kosova have
been subjected to an ethnic cleansing campaign directed
by Serbian and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia authori-
ties in Belgrade, resulting in the deaths of 2,000 Alba-
nians, the destruction of over 300 civilian villages, the
burning of thousands of homes, and the creation of hun-
dreds of thousands of internally and externally displaced
persons and refugees;
Whereas in 1998, the Senate and House of Representatives
passed resolutions declaring that it is the sense of the
Congress that ‘‘there is reason to believe that Slobodan
Milosevic, President of the Federal Republic of Yugo-
slavia (Serbia and Montenegro), has committed war
crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide’’;
Whereas the United States operates an office of the United
States Information Service in Pristina, the capital of
Kosova; and
Whereas on February 6, 1999, the international community,
including the United States, convened a meeting to nego-
tiate an interim agreement on the status of Kosova in
Rambouillet, France: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) by illegally revoking the autonomy of
Kosova in 1989 and undertaking other unconstitu-
tional actions, by officially and harshly discriminat-
ing against the majority ethnic Albanians in Kosova,
and by committing numerous crimes against human-
•HCON 32 IH
ity, including ethnic cleansing, against the people of
Kosova, Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugo-
slavia (Serbia and Montenegro), especially as ruled
by Slobodan Milosevic, have forfeited any right to
govern or to determine political status of the terri-
tory of Kosova;
(2) the United States should support the right
of self-determination for Kosova and its people, as it
did for the other former constituent territorial units
of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
some of which have become independent;
(3) the United States should support an interim
agreement on the status of Kosova that supports the
principle of self-determination by—
(A) providing Kosova the right to genuine
and enhanced autonomy with democratic and
effective self-governance provisions and protec-
tion of minority rights during the interim pe-
riod at a level greater than provided by the
Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia, as amended in 1974; and
(B) providing for a referendum on the
final status of Kosova, to be held within Kosova
on a date certain, which should include inde-
•HCON 32 IH
pendence as an option, and be guaranteed by
the international community; and
(4) the United States should support such rep-
resentation for Kosova in international institutions
as is consistent with Kosova’s exercise of the legiti-
mate right of self-determination.
Æ