[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 24 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 24

            Concerning the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 26, 1993

  Mr. Moran submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred jointly to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
            Concerning the crisis in the former Yugoslavia.

Whereas there is worldwide concern over the escalation of violence in the former 
        Yugoslavia, and particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
Whereas over 100,000 people have died and over 1,700,000 others have been 
        rendered homeless in the course of the conflict;
Whereas Serbian attacks have continued unabated against helpless civilians in 
        Bosnia-Herzegovina, both Muslim and Christian alike;
Whereas inhabitants of regions which have fallen under Serbian control have been 
        subjected to the practice of ``ethnic cleansing'' and massacres reaching 
        genocidal levels not witnessed since World War II;
Whereas Serbian forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina have caused innocent people to be 
        killed, tortured, or driven from their homes in violation of 
        international law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949;
Whereas the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina face the threat of death through 
        starvation or exposure to extreme cold during the winter months;
Whereas Muslim prisoners in Serbian prison camps have been subjected to inhumane 
        conditions, including torture, extreme food deprivation, and inadequate 
        shelter and sanitation;
Whereas the United Nations, particularly the United States and the European 
        Community, must reassess and redouble their efforts to end the crisis 
        and alleviate the suffering of the victims of the civil war;
Whereas preliminary talks on the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina have begun in 
        Geneva between leaders of various factions;
Whereas President Bush and French President Francois Mitterand warned that the 
        United Nations could move quickly to enforce a ``no-fly'' zone over 
        Bosnia-Herzegovina if the peace talks in Geneva fail;
Whereas the London Conference of August 1992, called on all participants in the 
        conflict to place their heavy weapons under United Nations supervision;
Whereas on August 13, 1992, the United Nations Security Council adopted 
        Resolution 770, which called upon states to facilitate the delivery by 
        relevant United Nations humanitarian organizations of humanitarian 
        assistance to Sarajevo and wherever needed in other parts of Bosnia-
        Herzegovina;
Whereas the world community, including the United States, has not done enough to 
        absorb or assist refugees displaced and ravaged by the war;
Whereas the recent presidential election in Serbia has not resulted in the 
        election of officials who are committed to a peaceful resolution of the 
        crisis;
Whereas the United States Government has warned that in the event of conflict in 
        the formerly autonomous province of Kosovo, the United States will be 
        prepared to employ military force against the Serbians in Kosovo and in 
        Serbia proper; and
Whereas continued Serbian aggression could produce circumstances in which the 
        conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina could explode into a general regional 
        war: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) hostilities, war crimes, and all violations of human 
        rights in Bosnia-Herzegovina should cease immediately;
            (2) in the event of continued Serbian attacks on 
        defenseless civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the United States 
        and the European Community should persuade the United Nations 
        Security Council to lift the arms embargo against Bosnian 
        Muslims so that they may secure the means to defend themselves;
            (3) the United Nations should promptly authorize the 
        enforcement of the ``no-fly'' zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina to 
        prevent Serbian military aircraft from violating Bosnian 
        airspace;
            (4) the United States Government and the members of the 
        European Community, under the framework of the United Nations 
        and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 
        should propose and support decisive international efforts to 
        achieve a prompt cessation of hostilities and alleviate the 
        suffering of the civilian population in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
            (5) United Nations Security Council Resolution 770, which 
        authorizes the use of all measures necessary to deliver 
        humanitarian relief whenever it is needed to Bosnia-
        Herzegovina, should be fully implemented;
            (6) the conclusions of the London Conference, including 
        agreements between the parties of the conflict to collaborate 
        in delivery of humanitarian relief in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 
        should be fully implemented;
            (7) the United States Government should implement the 
        emergency provisions of the Refugee Act of 1980 to admit 
        Bosnian refugees to the United States, with preference given to 
        children, the elderly, and individuals requiring urgent medical 
        attention, while encouraging members of the European Community 
        to initiate reciprocal action;
            (8) the United Nations and all relevant international 
        relief organizations should be given unrestricted access to all 
        prisoners of war in the former Republic of Yugoslavia to 
        monitor human rights conditions in the camps as demanded by 
        United Nations Security Council Resolution 770 and the Geneva 
        Conventions of 1949; and
            (9) the United States Government, in conjunction with the 
        United Nations and the European Community, should support and 
        encourage the formation and development of an international war 
        crimes commission to assist in the prosecuting of war crimes, 
        including crimes against women, and other human rights 
        violations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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