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cess to land and credit, racial discrimination, grave
human rights violations, the lack of effective law enforce-
ment, military impunity, and the absence of democratic
government;
Whereas the parties to the peace accords agreed to implement
the December 1996 accords over a four-year period, with
compliance to be monitored and supported by the Guate-
malan Commission for Accompaniment and verified inter-
nationally by the United Nations Mission in Guatemala
(MINUGUA);
Whereas international donors have pledged financial support
to implement the accords, especially those commitments
made to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule
of law, to improve the efficiency and availability of public
services, to promote more equitable economic growth, and
to raise living standards, focusing on the very poor, in-
digenous peoples, and women; and
Whereas the Clarification Commission created under the
peace accords to establish responsibility for human rights
violations committed during the armed conflict has a
maximum of one year to find the truth about many thou-
sands of abuses committed over 36 years: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) commends the Government of Guatemala
and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity
(URNG) for their actions in carrying out the first
phase of implementation of the peace accords;
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(2) commends the Government of Guatemala
and President Alvaro Arzu for the steps they have
taken to tackle corruption and to strengthen civilian
control over the armed forces, and for putting in
place the joint action commissions that will play a
critical role in the implementation of the peace ac-
cords;
(3) commends the United Nations for its work
in facilitating the peace agreement and for its role
in verifying the accords, and the Group of Friends—
Colombia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the United
States, and Venezuela—for their support of the
peace process in Guatemala;
(4) notes the need for the greatest possible
democratic participation in implementing the ac-
cords, and calls on the Government of Guatemala,
the URNG, and the United Nations Mission in Gua-
temala (MINUGUA) to promote dialogue and con-
sensus-building with the political parties, the private
sector and civil society groups;
(5) notes with concern the continued involve-
ment of military intelligence in operational police
matters revealed in the ‘‘Mincho’’ case and calls
upon the Government of Guatemala, with the co-
operation of the URNG and MINUGUA, to conduct
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a full investigation into this case and to ensure strict
compliance with the provisions of the peace accords
regarding the role of intelligence structures;
(6) calls on the Government of Guatemala to
provide the fullest possible financial, logistical, and
other support to the Clarification Commission to
carry out its work, and to act upon the findings of
the Commission’s final report;
(7) calls on the Government of Guatemala to
continue strengthening the climate of respect for
human rights and interpreting the Law of National
Reconciliation in such a manner that those who com-
mitted human rights violations during the armed
conflict do not escape justice;
(8) calls on the Government of Guatemala to
continue to facilitate the return as quickly as pos-
sible of all Guatemalan refugees currently living in
Mexico who desire to return, as established by the
October 8, 1992, agreement between the Govern-
ment of Guatemala and the Guatemalan refugee
groups;
(9) calls on the Government of Guatemala to
take prompt measures, as required by the accords
and recommended by the International Monetary
Fund and other financial institutions, to increase its
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revenues, in an equitable manner, in order to imple-
ment the socioeconomic commitments of the peace
accords and to resolve peacefully and expeditiously
the many land disputes that have raised tensions in
the countryside;
(10) calls on the Clinton Administration to
monitor closely the peace process in Guatemala, to
support full implementation of the peace accords,
and to provide adequate funds for reconstruction
and development, with particular emphasis on
strengthening the justice system, building a new ci-
vilian police force, alleviating extreme poverty, and
ensuring the full integration of indigenous people
and women into the political and economic system;
(11) calls on the Clinton Administration to en-
sure that any United States assistance to the Guate-
malan military be limited exclusively to aid that car-
ries out the objectives of the peace accords of in-
creasing civilian control over the military, limiting
the role of the Guatemalan armed forces to defense
of sovereignty and national security, and fostering
greater respect for human rights; and
(12) calls on the Clinton Administration to sup-
port the work of the Guatemalan Clarification Com-
mission by speedily declassifying documents of Unit-
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ed States agencies that may shed light on human
rights violations committed during the Guatemalan
conflict and making those documents available to the
Commission and to the public.
Æ