[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 531 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 531

   Condemning the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in 
  Buenos Aires, Argentina, urging the Argentine Government to punish 
               those responsible, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2000

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
    Wexler, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Rothman, and Mr. Menendez) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                       on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in 
  Buenos Aires, Argentina, urging the Argentine Government to punish 
               those responsible, and for other purposes.

Whereas on July 18, 1994, 86 innocent human beings were killed and 300 were 
        wounded when the AMIA Jewish Community Center was bombed in Buenos 
        Aires, Argentina;
Whereas the United States welcomes Argentine President Fernando de la Rua's 
        political will to pursue the investigation of the bombing of the AMIA 
        Jewish Community Center to its ultimate conclusion;
Whereas circumstantial evidence attributes the attack to the terrorist group 
        Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and sponsored by Iran;
Whereas evidence indicates that this bombing could not have been carried out 
        without local assistance from elements of the Argentine security forces 
        some of which are reported to be sympathetic to anti-Semitic positions 
        and to have participated in the desecration of Jewish cemeteries in 
        recent years;
Whereas additional evidence indicates that the tri-border area where Argentina, 
        Paraguay, and Brazil meet and which is known to be rife with terrorist 
        activity as well as drug and arms smuggling was used to channel 
        resources for the purpose of carrying out the bombing attack;
Whereas the 6 years since the bombing have been marked by efforts to minimize 
        the involvement of these Argentine security elements;
Whereas Argentine officials have acknowledged that there was negligence in the 
        initial phases of the investigation and that the institutional and 
        political conditions must be created to advance the investigation of 
        this terrorist attack;
Whereas failure to duly punish the culprits of this act serves merely to reward 
        these terrorists and help spread the scourge of terrorism throughout the 
        Western Hemisphere;
Whereas the democratic leaders of the Western Hemisphere issued mandates at the 
        1994 and 1998 Summits of the Americas that they condemn terrorism in all 
        its forms and that they will, using all legal means, combat terrorist 
        acts anywhere in the Americas with unity and vigor;
Whereas the Government of Argentina supports the 1996 Declaration of Lima To 
        Prevent, Combat and Eliminate Terrorism, which refers to terrorism as a 
        serious form of organized and systematic violence that is intended to 
        generate chaos and fear among the population, results in death and 
        destruction, and is a reprehensible criminal activity, as well as the 
        1998 Commitment of Mar del Plata which calls terrorist acts serious 
        common crimes that erode peaceful and civilized coexistence, affect the 
        rule of law and the exercise of democracy, and endanger the stability of 
        democratically elected constitutional governments and the socio-economic 
        development of our countries; and
Whereas it is the long-standing policy of the United States to stand firm 
        against terrorist attacks wherever and whenever they occur and to work 
        with its allies to ensure that justice is done; Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reiterates its condemnation of the attack on the AMIA 
        Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in July, 
        1994, and honors the victims of this heinous act;
            (2) strongly urges the Government of Argentina to fulfill 
        its international obligations and its promise to the Argentine 
        people by pursuing the local and international connections to 
        this act of terrorism, wherever they may lead, and to duly 
        punish all those who were involved;
            (3) calls on the President to raise this issue in bilateral 
        discussions with Argentine officials and to underscore the 
        United States concern regarding the 6-year delay in the 
        resolution of this case;
            (4) recommends that the United States Representative to the 
        Organization of American States seek support from the countries 
        comprising the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism to 
        assist, if required by the Government of Argentina, in the 
        investigation of this terrorist attack;
            (5) encourages the President to direct United States law 
        enforcement agencies to provide support and cooperation to the 
        Government of Argentina, if requested, for purposes of the 
        investigation into this bombing and terrorist activities in the 
        tri-border area; and
            (6) desires a lasting, warm relationship between the United 
        States and Argentina built on mutual abhorrence of terrorism 
        and commitments to peace, stability, and democracy in the 
        Western Hemisphere.
                                 <all>