[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 70 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 70

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the renewed civil war 
                               in Angola.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 25 (legislative day, March 3), 1993

 Mr. Simon (for himself, Mr. DeConcini, Mr. Jeffords, Mrs. Kassebaum, 
  Mr. Kennedy, and Ms. Moseley-Braun) introduced the following joint 
   resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the renewed civil war 
                               in Angola.

Whereas the Government of Angola and the National Union for the Total 
        Independence of Angola (UNITA) signed the Bicesse Peace Accords on May 
        31, 1991, pledging both parties to full demobilization, the formation of 
        a new national army, and multiparty democratic elections in the autumn 
        of 1992;
Whereas 4,500,000 Angolans voted in such elections when such elections were held 
        on September 29 and 30, 1992, and such elections were certified by the 
        United Nations and the United States as ``generally free and fair'' and 
        without significant irregularities or systematic fraud;
Whereas the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola candidate for 
        president received 49.6 percent and the UNITA candidate for president 
        received 40.1 percent of the total votes cast for that office;
Whereas immediately upon completion of the presidential election, the UNITA 
        leadership called the results into question, withdrew its forces from 
        the newly unified national army, and retreated to its stronghold to 
        launch a military offensive;
Whereas life in Angola has been dramatically disrupted by the consequences of 
        350,000 casualties from 16 years of civil war, of additional deaths 
        estimated at 20,000 persons from the recent conflict, of more than 
        1,000,000 persons displaced, and of 3,000,000 persons threatened by 
        hunger, disease, and land mines;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council recently adopted a resolution 
        expressing grave concerns about the outbreak of fighting in Angola, 
        strongly condemning persistent violations of the Bicesse Peace Accords 
        by UNITA, and urging both sides to begin peace talks;
Whereas over the years the United States Government has played a significant 
        role in Angola, providing extensive support for UNITA during the civil 
        war and facilitating the negotiation of the Bicesse Peace Accords;
Whereas the Clinton Administration has the opportunity to establish a new policy 
        with respect to Angola and utilize diplomatic resources to seek a 
        peaceful resolution to the on-going conflict in Angola; and
Whereas an appropriate response to the crisis in Angola is likely to set an 
        important precedent for United States actions in emerging democracies 
        elsewhere in Africa: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress--
            (1) deplores the human rights violations committed by the 
        Government of Angola and the National Union for the Total 
        Independence of Angola (UNITA) during the recently renewed 
        conflict in Angola;
            (2) condemns the refusal of UNITA to negotiate;
            (3) urges both the Government of Angola and the UNITA 
        leadership to act swiftly to negotiate an immediate cease-fire 
        and move effectively to set a timetable for full implementation 
        of the Bicesse Peace Accords, including reaching an agreement 
        on a date certain for demobilizing military forces; and
            (4) calls upon the President--
                    (A) to extend diplomatic recognition to the 
                Government of Angola in order to encourage the peace 
                process in Angola;
                    (B) to appoint a special envoy in order to support 
                the on-going efforts of the United Nations to 
                facilitate a cease-fire and negotiate a peaceful 
                resolution of the conflict in Angola;
                    (C) to take immediate actions in the international 
                community to pressure any party in Angola that 
                obstructs the peace process into ceasing such 
                obstruction, including imposing sanctions against such 
                party or taking such other actions as the President 
                considers appropriate; and
                    (D) to consider dispatching a team to Angola to 
                assess the humanitarian crisis in Angola and make 
                recommendations for a United States response to the 
                crisis.

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