[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 104 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 104

                   Concerning the crisis in Albania.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 1997

   Mr. Engel (for himself and Ms. Molinari) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
                   Concerning the crisis in Albania.

Whereas during March 1997 United States Armed Forces personnel evacuated 
        approximately 500 Americans from Albania;
Whereas no Americans were injured in the evacuation;
Whereas the military operation was at times risky and dangerous, with 
        helicopters of the United States Armed Forces occasionally receiving 
        fire;
Whereas several United States diplomats, including Ambassador Marisa Lino, have 
        remained in Tirana during these unsettled and perilous times;
Whereas the evacuation is the result of a rebellion in Albania which followed 
        the collapse of several pyramid investment schemes;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of Albanian citizens lost large portions of their 
        life savings in the pyramid investment schemes;
Whereas more than 100 people in Albania have died in the rebellion;
Whereas with the almost complete collapse of central governmental authority, 
        Albania remains in a state of near-anarchy;
Whereas many weapons depots were raided by the general population of Albania and 
        many small arms were taken by the citizenry;
Whereas the proliferation of weapons in Albania has made the situation very 
        dangerous;
Whereas on March 9, 1997, Albania's political parties agreed to a nine-point 
        agreement on political reconciliation;
Whereas under the nine-point agreement, President Sali Berisha, a member of the 
        ruling Democratic Party, has appointed a broadly based unity government, 
        led by an opposition socialist, former mayor of Gjirokaster Bashkim 
        Fino;
Whereas under the nine-point agreement, President Berisha and opposition parties 
        have agreed to hold general elections by June 1997; and
Whereas the solution to the crisis in Albania cannot be found through further 
        recourse to violence or any challenge to Albania's international borders 
        or territorial integrity: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) United States Armed Forces personnel are to be 
        commended for the evacuation operations in Albania;
            (2) the United States diplomatic corps are to be commended 
        for their service in Albania during these dangerous times;
            (3) the nine-point agreement of March 9, 1997, among all 
        Albanian political parties represents a key step toward lifting 
        Albania out of the current crisis;
            (4) Albania's new multiparty leadership is strongly urged 
        to implement in good faith the terms of the nine-point 
        agreement of March 9, 1997, and to do all possible to reinspire 
        the trust of the Albanian people;
            (5) the Albanian people are strongly urged to afford their 
        new government an opportunity to govern by laying down weapons 
        and making any changes to the government through peaceful 
        means, particularly the upcoming elections;
            (6) the United States should support the new Albanian 
        Government as it attempts to reestablish calm and achieve 
        political reconciliation and should urge the new government to 
        guarantee human rights, free and fair elections, and freedom of 
        expression;
            (7) the United States must remain closely engaged in the 
        diplomatic efforts to ease Albania's crisis and should strongly 
        support similar efforts by the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe and the European Union;
            (8) the United States and the international community 
        should work with the new Albanian Government to ensure that 
        upcoming elections will be free and fair by supplying political 
        inducement, technical advice, and large numbers of observers; 
        and
            (9) the international community should consider ways to 
        assist Albania with the financial crisis brought about by the 
        collapse of the pyramid investment schemes, including the 
        convening of a financial donors' conference if there is full 
        cooperation in investigating the schemes and their role in the 
        crisis.
                                 <all>