[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 181 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 181

              Encouraging the peace process in Sri Lanka.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 29, 1995

Mr. Hamilton (for himself, Mr. Bereuter, and Mr. Berman) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
              Encouraging the peace process in Sri Lanka.
Whereas the United States has enjoyed a long and cordial friendship with Sri 
        Lanka;
Whereas as one manifestation of the warm ties between the United States and Sri 
        Lanka, the First Lady of the United States visited Sri Lanka in April 
        1995;
Whereas Sri Lanka is a vibrant democracy whose government is committed to 
        political pluralism, free market economics, and a respect for human 
        rights;
Whereas the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (``LTTE'') have waged a protracted 
        secessionist struggle in Sri Lanka for nearly 12 years;
Whereas an estimated 30,000 people have died in Sri Lanka as a result of these 
        hostilities;
Whereas the Department of State's report on global terrorism names the LTTE as a 
        major terrorist organization;
Whereas the LTTE is widely believed to have engaged in political assassinations, 
        including the murder in 1994 of a leading candidate for the Sri Lankan 
        presidency, and the killing in 1993 of President Ranasinghe Premadasa;
Whereas the government of President Kumaratunga initiated a dialogue with the 
        LTTE in 1994, and took a number of other steps to ease tensions and set 
        the stage for negotiations between the government and the LTTE, 
        including lifting the ban on the transit of many commodities to Jaffna;
Whereas a cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka went into effect on January 8, 
        1995;
Whereas 4 rounds of peace talks between the government and the LTTE took place; 
        and
Whereas in April 1995, the LTTE withdrew from these negotiations and resumed 
        military operations against the Government of Sri Lanka that have 
        resulted in hundreds of casualties, including many innocent civilians: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) notes with great satisfaction the warm and friendly 
        relations that exist between the United States and Sri Lanka;
            (2) applauds the commitment to democracy demonstrated by 
        the Sri Lankan people, in defiance of brutal acts of wanton 
        terrorism;
            (3) commends the Sri Lankan people and the Government of 
        Sri Lanka for the significant improvements in Sri Lanka in the 
        area of human rights;
            (4) applauds the cessation of hostilities in early 1995 
        between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers 
        of Tamil Eelam (``LTTE'') and deplores the resumption of 
        fighting;
            (5) calls on the LTTE to desist in its resort to arms, and 
        to return to the negotiating table;
            (6) calls on all parties to negotiate in good faith with a 
        view to ending the current armed strife in Sri Lanka and to 
        finding a just and lasting political settlement to Sri Lanka's 
        ethnic conflict while assuring the territorial integrity of Sri 
        Lanka;
            (7) believes that a political solution, including 
        appropriate constitutional structures and adequate protection 
        of minority rights, is the path to a comprehensive and lasting 
        peace in Sri Lanka;
            (8) denounces all political violence and acts of terrorism 
        in Sri Lanka, and calls upon those who espouse such methods to 
        reject these methods and to embrace dialogue, democratic norms, 
        and the peaceful resolution of disputes;
            (9) calls on all parties to respect the human rights of the 
        Sri Lankan people; and
            (10) states its willingness in principle to see the United 
        States lend its good offices to help resolve the ethnic 
        conflict in Sri Lanka, if so desired by all parties to the 
        conflict.
                                 <all>