[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 278 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 278

  Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding United States policy 
                            towards Vietnam.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 1994

   Mr. Ackerman (for himself and Mr. Skaggs) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding United States policy 
                            towards Vietnam.

Whereas the President has lifted the 30-year-old trade embargo against Vietnam 
        in the belief that doing so is the ``best way'' to ensure progress in 
        resolving the fate of Americans missing since the conflict in Vietnam;
Whereas the period of the Vietnam conflict and its aftermath was one of the most 
        distressing and painful periods in our Nation's history;
Whereas questions remain about the fate of several hundred Americans missing in 
        action;
Whereas, on July 2, 1993, President Clinton stated that further steps in United 
        States-Vietnam relations would be based on ``tangible progress'' towards 
        the fullest possible accounting of those missing in action;
Whereas such ``tangible progress'' depends on further efforts by the Government 
        of Vietnam in the 4 key areas outlined by the President, including the 
        recovery and repatriation of American remains, continued resolution of 
        discrepancy cases, further assistance in implementing trilateral 
        investigations with Laos, and accelerated efforts to provide all POW/
        MIA-related documents;
Whereas the Congress deeply empathizes with the families and friends of the 
        missing American servicemen;
Whereas we owe nothing less than the ``fullest possible accounting'' to these 
        men and their families;
Whereas Vietnam's criminal law is used to punish nonviolent advocates of 
        political pluralism, through charges such as ``attempting to overthrow 
        the people's government'' or ``antisocialist propaganda'';
Whereas the end of the Cold War provides an unprecedented opportunity for 
        democratic reform and improvements in human rights throughout the world;
Whereas recent economic reforms and initiatives undertaken by the Government of 
        Vietnam can best be encouraged and built upon through political 
        liberalization;
Whereas the interests of the United States and the people of Vietnam, and the 
        international community would best be served by having a friendly and 
        democratic government in Vietnam; and
Whereas greater respect for internationally recognized human rights and a 
        peaceful transition to democracy in Vietnam would greatly reduce the 
        threat of instability in Southeast Asia and enable the creation of a 
        free-market economy in Vietnam: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) progress towards the ``fullest possible accounting'' 
        for the Americans missing and unaccounted for remains central 
        to our Nation's foreign policy toward Vietnam;
            (2) the ``fullest possible accounting'' of our missing must 
        remain the index by which further progress in relations must be 
        judged;
            (3) the primary functions of the United States Government 
        liaison office in Vietnam should be--
                    (A) to facilitate efforts to achieve the ``fullest 
                possible accounting'', and
                    (B) to establish a section within that office to 
                assist families and friends of those missing American 
                servicemen in their efforts to ascertain the status of 
                their loved ones;
            (4) the United States should support the process of 
        nonviolent democratic reform in Vietnam including the goal of 
        free and fair elections; and
            (5) the United States should increase its support for Voice 
        of America programming in Vietnam.
                                 <all>