[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 220 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 220

 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the continued attacks on 
democracy and the rule of law in Colombia, including the kidnappings of 
         the elected representatives of the people of Colombia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 7, 2002

Mr. Grassley submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the continued attacks on 
democracy and the rule of law in Colombia, including the kidnappings of 
         the elected representatives of the people of Colombia.

Whereas Colombia is home to the oldest democracy in Latin America and has 
        consistently been a friend of the United States;
Whereas Colombia has been affected by the violence generated by the terrorist 
        acts of illegal armed groups;
Whereas the largest of these groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia 
        (FARC), has used kidnapping, extortion, terrorism, and narcotics 
        trafficking to raise money for its activities;
Whereas those most affected by the targets of these activities have been the 
        people of Colombia;
Whereas in October 1997, almost 10,000,000 Colombians voted for a mandate for 
        peace that asked all presidential candidates to find peace in Colombia 
        through political negotiation;
Whereas in June 1998, 6,500,000 Colombians voted for President Andres Pastrana 
        and his project for peace in Colombia;
Whereas, since his election, President Pastrana has worked consistently and 
        persistently to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict between 
        the Government of Colombia and the insurgency groups operating within 
        the borders of Colombia;
Whereas the Government of Colombia put forth several proposals for peace and 
        made sacrifices in sovereign territory and commitments in funding in 
        hopes of achieving peace in Colombia only to have these overtures 
        repeatedly rejected;
Whereas, on January 20, 2002, the Government of Colombia and the FARC were able 
        to agree on a schedule to be followed in order to define the future of 
        the peace process;
Whereas, since this accord was signed by the FARC, the FARC has consistently and 
        repeatedly taken violent actions against the people and the Government 
        of Colombia in the form of terrorist attacks, including--
            (1) car bombs;
            (2) attacking government installations;
            (3) mining new fields;
            (4) homicides, including women and children;
            (5) destroying electric pylons;
            (6) bombing oil pipelines;
            (7) destroying bridges; and
            (8) attacks on the dam that provides water to Bogota;
Whereas five democratically elected representatives of the Colombian Congress 
        are currently being held against their will after being kidnapped by the 
        FARC, including--
            (1) Representative Oscar Tulio Lizcano, a member of the Conservative 
        Party and elected by the people of Colombia to represent the Province of 
        Caldas, who was kidnapped in the municipality of Riosucio, Province of 
        Caldas, on August 5, 2000, by members of the ``Aurelio Rodriguez Front'' 
        of the ``Jose Maria Cordoba Block'' of the FARC;
            (2) Senator Luis Eladio Perez, a member of the Liberal Party and 
        elected by the people of Colombia, while visiting several municipalities 
        on a political tour who was kidnapped in the town of Ipiales, Province 
        of Nariflo, on June 10, 2001, by elements of the FARC, as a second 
        attempt to kidnap Senator Eladio, the first occurring at the end of May 
        2001, and frustrated by his security detail;
            (3) Representative Orlando Beltran Cuellar, a member of the Liberal 
        party from the Province of Huila and elected by the people of Colombia, 
        who was kidnapped by the FARC in the municipality of Gigante, Province 
        of Huila, on August 28, 2001;
            (4) Representative Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, a member of the 
        Liberal Party from the Province of Huila and elected by the people of 
        Colombia, who was kidnapped by the FARC in the municipality of Hobo, 
        Province of Huila, on September 11, 2001; and
            (5) Senator Jorge Eduardo Gechem Turbay, a member of the Liberal 
        Party from the Province of Huila, elected by the people of Colombia, and 
        President of the Colombian Senate's Peace Commission, who was kidnapped 
        on February 20, 2002, when four members of the FARC hijacked a 
        commercial AIRES aircraft traveling from Neiva to Bogota with 30 
        passengers on board and who was removed from the aircraft after it was 
        forced to land on a rural road in the municipality of Hobo, Province of 
        Huila; and
Whereas Saturday, February 23, Presidential Candidate Ingrid Betancourt and her 
        campaign manager Clara Rojas were kidnapped by the FARC as she traveled 
        to San Vicente del Caguan: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses its strong support for the democratically 
        elected Government of Colombia and the Colombian people in 
        their struggle to protect their democracy from terrorism and 
        the scourge of illicit narcotics;
            (2) deplores the continuing criminal terrorist acts of 
        murder, abduction, and extortion carried out by all illegal 
        armed groups in Colombia against the civilian population of 
        Colombia and Colombian authorities;
            (3) condemns the kidnapping of elected representatives of 
        the people of Colombia by the FARC and extends its sympathy to 
        the families and friends of the kidnapped members of the 
        Colombian Congress; and
            (4) urges the President to develop a comprehensive 
        strategic policy proposal, consistent with United States law 
        regarding human rights and the environment, to assist the 
        Government of Colombia in defending its democracy and rule of 
        law from illegal armed groups and the scourge of illicit 
        narcotics.
                                 <all>