[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 275 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 275


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 26, 2000

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to Iraq's failure to 
    release prisoners of war from Kuwait and nine other nations in 
                 violation of international agreements.

Whereas in 1990 and 1991, thousands of Kuwaitis were randomly arrested on the 
        streets of Kuwait during the Iraqi occupation;
Whereas in February 1993, the Government of Kuwait compiled evidence documenting 
        the existence of 605 prisoners of war and submitted its files to the 
        International Com-


mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which passed those files on to Iraq, the 
United Nations, and the Arab League;

Whereas numerous testimonials exist from family members who witnessed the arrest 
        and forcible removal of their relatives by Iraqi armed forces during the 
        occupation;
Whereas eyewitness reports from released prisoners of war indicate that many of 
        those who are still missing were seen and contacted in Iraqi prisons;
Whereas official Iraqi documents left behind in Kuwait chronicle in detail the 
        arrest, imprisonment, and transfer of significant numbers of Kuwaitis, 
        including those who are still missing;
Whereas in 1991, the United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly passed 
        Security Council Resolutions 686 and 687 that were part of the broad 
        cease-fire agreement accepted by the Iraqi regime;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 686 calls upon Iraq to 
        arrange for immediate access to and release of all prisoners of war 
        under the auspices of the ICRC and to return the remains of the deceased 
        personnel of the forces of Kuwait and the Member States cooperating with 
        Kuwait;
Whereas United Nations Security Resolution 687 calls upon Iraq to cooperate with 
        the ICRC in the repatriation of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, 
        to provide the ICRC with access to the prisoners wherever they are 
        located or detained, and to facilitate the ICRC search for those 
        unaccounted for;
Whereas the Government of Kuwait, in accordance with United Nations Security 
        Council Resolution 686, immediately released all Iraqi prisoners of war 
        as required by the terms of the Geneva Convention;
Whereas immediately following the cease-fire in March 1991, Iraq repatriated 
        5,722 Kuwaiti prisoners of war under the aegis of the ICRC and freed 500 
        Kuwaitis held by rebels in southern Iraq;
Whereas Iraq has hindered and blocked efforts of the Tripartite Commission, the 
        eight-country commission chaired by the ICRC and responsible for 
        locating and securing the release of the remaining prisoners of war;
Whereas Iraq has denied the ICRC access to Iraqi prisons in violation of Article 
        126 of the Third Geneva Convention, to which Iraq is a signatory;
Whereas Iraq--under the direction and control of Saddam Hussein--has failed to 
        locate and secure the return of all prisoners of war being held in Iraq, 
        including prisoners from Kuwait and nine other nations; and
Whereas significant questions remain regarding the status of United States Navy 
        Lieutenant Commander Michael Speicher, who was shot down over Iraq on 
        January 16, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm and was declared dead by 
        the United States Navy without the conduct of an adequate search and 
        rescue operation, however subsequent information obtained after the 
        Persian Gulf Conflict by United States officials has raised the 
        possibility that Lieutenant Commander Speicher survived and was captured 
        by Iraqi forces: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
            (1) the Congress--
                    (A) acknowledges that there remain 605 prisoners of 
                war imprisoned in Iraq, although Kuwait was liberated 
                from Iraq's brutal invasion and occupation on February 
                26, 1991;
                    (B) condemns and denounces the Iraqi Government's 
                refusal to comply with international human rights 
                instruments to which it is a party;
                    (C) urges Iraq immediately to disclose the names 
                and whereabouts of those who are still alive among the 
                Kuwaiti prisoners of war and other nations to bring 
                relief to their families;
                    (D) insists that Iraq immediately allow 
                humanitarian organizations such as the International 
                Committee of the Red Cross to visit the living 
                prisoners and to recover the remains of those who have 
                died while in captivity; and
                    (E) urges Iraq to immediately release all 
                information regarding the fate of United States Navy 
                Lieutenant Commander Michael Speicher and to release 
                Lieutenant Commander Speicher, or deliver his remains, 
                to the International Committee of the Red Cross for 
                return to the United States; and
            (2) it is the sense of the Congress that the United States 
        Government should--
                    (A) actively and urgently work with the 
                international community and the Government of Kuwait, 
                in accordance with United Nations Security Council 
                Resolutions 686 and 687, to secure the release of 
                Kuwaiti prisoners of war and other prisoners of war who 
                are still missing 9 years after the end of the Gulf 
                War;
                    (B) exert pressure, as a permanent member of the 
                United Nations Security Council, on Iraq to bring this 
                issue to a close, to release all remaining prisoners of 
                the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, and to rejoin the 
                community of nations with a humane gesture of good will 
                and decency; and
                    (C) actively and urgently work with the 
                international community and the Government of Kuwait to 
                actively seek information on the status of United 
                States Navy Lieutenant Commander Michael Speicher and 
                make every effort to expedite the release of Lieutenant 
                Commander Speicher, or deliver his remains, from Iraq.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 23, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.