[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 196 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 196

   Expressing the sense of Congress that United States assistance to 
  Algeria should be terminated unless its military backed government 
                    proceeds toward democratization.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 23, 1993

Mr. Washington submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
  referred jointly to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Banking, 
                       Finance and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of Congress that United States assistance to 
  Algeria should be terminated unless its military backed government 
                    proceeds toward democratization.

Whereas, on December 26, 1991, Algeria successfully completed the first round of 
        democratically-held multi party national elections in that country;
Whereas the first round of elections expressed the will of the people of Algeria 
        who wanted an end to the 30 years of one party rule;
Whereas on January 11, 1992, the Algerian military sized power, cancelled the 
        second round of elections due to take place on January 16, 1992, and 
        imposed unelected individuals by installing the five-man Higher State 
        Council (Haut Conseil d'Etat) as the national governing body;
Whereas the military actions of January 11th totally undermined the national 
        democratic election process, and superseded virtually all constitutional 
        rights by dissolving parliament, and declaring a state of emergency for 
        a year which has now been renewed indefinitely;
Whereas international human rights organizations amply documented the alarming 
        rise of executions and summary death sentences which exceed 300, and 
        thousands of heavy prison sentences, meted out by recently constituted 
        special courts in violation of the most fundamental requirements of 
        international law, and based on confessions extracted under torture and 
        the denial of the right to a proper defense or an appeal;
Whereas the now ruling Higher State Council has led the country into a 
        deteriorating path of repression, denial or civil rights and violence, 
        engaged in a brutal and systematic process of arbitrary arrests, torture 
        and the unrestricted detention of thousands of opposition members; and
Whereas the United States Congress is deeply concerned about the continuing 
        deterioration of the economic and social conditions within Algeria: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
            (1) in order to promote the restoration of the democratic 
        process in Algeria, the President shall actively encourage 
        unconditional negotiations between the Higher State Council and 
        all political parties committee to multi-party democracy, 
        including those who won parliamentary seats in the first round 
        of elections; and
            (2) United States assistance to the military backed 
        government of Algeria should be suspended, and the United 
        States should oppose all loans to Algeria from international 
        lending institutions, unless and until the President certifies 
        that the Higher State Council is making significant progress 
        toward the restoration of a democratic process in Algeria by--
                    (A) immediately lifting of the state of emergency;
                    (B) legalizing all political parties committed to 
                democratic elections;
                    (C) good faith negotiations with all political 
                parties especially those parties who won seats in 
                parliament and who expressed their commitment to multi-
                party democracy;
                    (D) dissolving the ``special courts'', and 
                referring those accused of violent crimes to civilian 
                courts;
                    (E) releasing all political prisoners, particularly 
                those who are imprisoned because of their political 
                beliefs;
                    (F) appointing a caretaker government agreed upon 
                by all the political parties, especially those who won 
                seats in the first round of national elections, to 
                ensure national reconciliation and supervise the 
                transition to democracy;
                    (G) returning freedom of the press, by halting the 
                detention and threats against journalists and 
                permitting the publication of newspapers which operated 
                prior to 1992; and
                    (H) resuming the electoral process by rescheduling 
                the second phase of the parliamentary election within a 
                one year period.

                                 <all>