[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 285 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 285

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
referendum in East Timor and calling on the Government of Indonesia and 
 all other parties to the current civil unrest in East Timor to assist 
in any attempts to immediately terminate the paramilitary's campaign of 
  violence and terror and comply with the overwhelming results of the 
                 August 30, 1999, popular consultation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 1999

 Mr. Capuano (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blagojevich, Mr. Crowley, 
   Mr. Delahunt, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. 
  Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. King, Ms. Lee, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Luther, 
  Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Norton, Mr. Olver, Mr. 
 Payne, Ms. Pelosi, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Wolf, Mrs. Capps, 
   Mr. Baird, Mr. Meehan, and Mrs. Morella) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
referendum in East Timor and calling on the Government of Indonesia and 
 all other parties to the current civil unrest in East Timor to assist 
in any attempts to immediately terminate the paramilitary's campaign of 
  violence and terror and comply with the overwhelming results of the 
                 August 30, 1999, popular consultation.

Whereas in 1975 the newly independent Portuguese colony of East Timor was 
        invaded and occupied by Indonesia;
Whereas for the past 24 years, East Timorese pro-independence groups have been 
        brutally repressed by the Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) and more 
        recently by military-backed paramilitary units engaged in kidnapping, 
        torture, and murder;
Whereas more than 200,000 East Timorese have perished in violent conflicts;
Whereas on May 5, 1999, Portugal, Indonesia, and the United Nations concluded an 
        historic agreement intended to resolve the long-standing issue of East 
        Timor through a popular consultation based upon a universal, direct, and 
        secret ballot;
Whereas the agreement gave the East Timorese people an opportunity to accept a 
        proposed special autonomy for East Timor within the unitary Republic of 
        Indonesia or reject the special autonomy and opt for independence;
Whereas on June 11, 1999, the United Nations Security Council established the 
        United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which proceeded to 
        organize and conduct the popular consultation; and
Whereas on August 30, 1999, in a show of courage and determination, 98.5 percent 
        of registered East Timorese went to the polls to express their will as 
        to the future of their territory, and by a vote of 344,580 to 94,388 
        overwhelmingly chose independence: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the people of East Timor for their unrelenting 
        perseverance to cast their vote on the future status of East 
        Timor in a democratic manner;
            (2) congratulates the people of East Timor on their 
        exemplary participation in the August 30, 1999, popular 
        consultation;
            (3) condemns the post-election violence carried out by 
        paramilitary groups against United Nations personnel and the 
        people of East Timor;
            (4) is concerned about the imposition of martial law by 
        Indonesia in East Timor;
            (5) further condemns the assaults upon refugees seeking 
        protection in churches, the International Red Cross, and other 
        places of sanctuary;
            (6) calls for international action to address the 
        humanitarian crisis in which thousands of refugees from East 
        Timor are blocked from receiving food or medical care;
            (7) reaffirms the profound concern of the United States for 
        the incalculable human suffering inflicted on the East Timorese 
        and demands an immediate halt to the violence and a peaceful 
        transition to independence for East Timor;
            (8) encourages efforts on behalf of the United Nations to 
        put pressure on the Government of Indonesia to attempt to 
        control, disarm, and disband the brutal militias in East Timor;
            (9) calls on the President--
                    (A) to suspend all remaining military assistance to 
                Indonesia until the paramilitaries in East Timor are 
                controlled; and
                    (B) to condition all future assistance to 
                Indonesia, except for humanitarian assistance, upon the 
                ability and willingness of the Government of Indonesia 
                to control paramilitary and militia forces and to 
                restore order and respect for human rights in East 
                Timor;
            (10) calls upon international organizations, including the 
        World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to condition 
        all future assistance to Indonesia, except for humanitarian 
        assistance, upon the ability and willingness of the Government 
        of Indonesia to control paramilitary and militia forces and to 
        restore order and respect for human rights in East Timor;
            (11) encourages efforts by the United Nations envoys in 
        Indonesia to express the outrage of the international community 
        over the violence in East Timor and to make plain to the 
        Government of Indonesia its responsibility to restrain 
        paramilitary forces and to restore order and respect for human 
        rights in East Timor;
            (12) calls upon the United Nations Security Council to 
        offer assistance to the Government of Indonesia in restoring 
        order in East Timor;
            (13) welcomes continued dialogue between United Nations 
        Secretary General Kofi Annan and Indonesian authorities, 
        including President B.J. Habibie and Defense Minister Wiranto, 
        for further measures to restore law and order in East Timor;
            (14) encourages increased United States support for an 
        expanded United Nations mandate with respect to East Timor, and 
        significantly more United Nations personnel, leading toward 
        assumption of responsibility by the United Nations for 
        administration and security in East Timor;
            (15) calls upon the international community to play an 
        active role in helping to resolve the internal conflict in East 
        Timor by encouraging all sides to participate in the peace 
        process; and
            (16) further calls upon the United Nations Security 
        Council, should it determine that the Government of Indonesia 
        is unable or unwilling to maintain order in East Timor, to 
        authorize member states of the United Nations to protect the 
        lives and human rights of East Timor refugees.
                                 <all>