[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 221 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 221

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a renewed 
    effort be made by all sides to end the violent guerrilla war in 
Colombia, which poses a serious threat to democracy as well as economic 
 and social stability as evidenced by the recent increase in guerrilla 
    and paramilitary violence which victimizes public officials and 
                    Colombian and foreign nationals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 1998

  Mr. Gallegly (for himself and Mr. Ackerman) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a renewed 
    effort be made by all sides to end the violent guerrilla war in 
Colombia, which poses a serious threat to democracy as well as economic 
 and social stability as evidenced by the recent increase in guerrilla 
    and paramilitary violence which victimizes public officials and 
                    Colombian and foreign nationals.

Whereas a brutal campaign of violence, kidnapping, and extortion carried out by 
        the guerrilla movements of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia 
        (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) during the October 1997 
        nationwide municipal elections resulted in at least 40 political 
        candidates murdered, over 1,900 candidates forced to abandon their 
        campaigns, 120 candidates reluctantly designated to political office, 
        and 11 municipalities with no elections at all;
Whereas, in the last six months, paramilitary death squads have massacred 30 
        civilians in the town of Mapiripan and dozens more in Miraflores and 
        further continued the killing spree with an ambush on an entourage of 11 
        government officials;
Whereas the FARC, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States 
        Secretary of State, continues to hold three United States missionaries 
        hostage without any effort to negotiate their release;
Whereas the magnitude of the guerrilla and paramilitary threat has been 
        intensified by their growing relationship with narcotics trafficking;
Whereas the surge of new guerrilla and paramilitary violence has created more 
        than 300,000 refugees over the last three years;
Whereas an estimated 70,000 people have died as a direct result of the internal 
        fighting over the last decade and this endemic level of violence is now 
        the leading cause of death in Colombia;
Whereas the guerrillas and the paramilitaries have resisted all overtures by the 
        Government of Colombia to end the violence and establish peace;
Whereas 10,000,000 Colombian citizens voted for a mandate for peace, expressing 
        their discontent with the guerrilla war and the need for the government 
        to end the conflict;
Whereas in December President Samper called upon the United States Government to 
        assist in negotiating an end to the guerrilla conflict and aid in 
        establishing stability in the region; and
Whereas the campaign of the guerrillas and the paramilitaries ultimately poses a 
        major threat to the very democracy of Colombia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) recognizes the importance of the threat of escalating 
        guerrilla and paramilitary violence to Colombia's democracy and 
        that acts of violence intended to disrupt the electoral process 
        in the October elections could spill over to the upcoming 
        congressional and presidential elections to be held in 1998;
            (2) urges that the guerrilla leaders of the Revolutionary 
        Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation 
        Army (ELN) end the violence and sever their relationship with 
        narcotics traffickers, negotiate a peace accord with the 
        Government of Colombia, and take their agenda into the 
        political arena for debate;
            (3) calls on the leadership of the (FARC) and the (ELN) to 
        release the United States missionaries being held hostage in 
        Colombia or to fully account for their whereabouts;
            (4) urges the Government of Colombia to invigorate their 
        efforts to swiftly end the guerrilla conflict which is taking a 
        large toll daily on the stability of Colombian democracy and 
        take greater action against paramilitary units that commit 
        gross human rights violations;
            (5) calls upon the international community, particularly 
        the Organization of American States, to play a more proactive 
        role in trying to resolve the conflict by encouraging all sides 
        to come back to the peace table; and
            (6) urges the administration to reevaluate United States 
        policies toward Colombia, taking into account the threat of the 
        guerrilla movement to Colombia's democracy, and to seriously 
        consider the Government of Columbia's request for United States 
        assistance in seeking a resolution to the conflict.
                                 <all>