[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 237 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 237

  Expressing the sense of the Senate on reaching an agreement on the 
                        future status of Kosovo.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 14, 2005

  Mr. Voinovich (for himself, Mr. Lugar, and Mr. Biden) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate on reaching an agreement on the 
                        future status of Kosovo.

Whereas, on June 10, 1999, the United Nations Security Council adopted 
        Resolution 1244 which authorized the Secretary-General of the United 
        Nations to establish an interim administration for Kosovo to assume the 
        supreme legal authority in Kosovo with the task of promoting 
        ``substantial autonomy and self-governance'' in Kosovo and facilitating 
        a political process to determine the future status of Kosovo;
Whereas, on December 10, 2003, the United Nations interim administration, known 
        as the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, 
        presented the Standards for Kosovo document which set out the 
        requirements to be met to advance stability in Kosovo;
Whereas the Standards for Kosovo require the establishment of functioning 
        democratic institutions in Kosovo, including providing for the holding 
        of elections, establishing the Provisional Institutions of Self-
        Government, and establishing media and civil society, the establishment 
        of rule of law to ensure equal access to justice and to implement 
        mechanisms to suppress economic and financial crime, and the 
        establishment of freedom of movement in Kosovo, including the free use 
        of language;
Whereas the Standards for Kosovo further require sustainable returns and the 
        rights of communities and their members, improvements in economic and 
        financial institutions, including the prevention of money laundering and 
        the establishment of an attractive environment for investors, the 
        establishment of property rights, including the preservation of cultural 
        heritage, and the development of a sustained dialogue, including a 
        Pristina-Belgrade dialogue and a regional dialogue;
Whereas the ethnic violence that occurred in Kosovo from March 17, 2004 through 
        March 19, 2004, represented a severe setback to the progress the people 
        of Kosovo achieved in implementing the Standards for Kosovo and resulted 
        in 20 deaths and damage to or destruction of approximately 900 homes and 
        30 Serbian Orthodox churches and other religious sites;
Whereas the bomb attacks against the people and international institutions in 
        Kosovo that occurred from July 2, 2005 through July 4, 2005, were 
        unacceptable events that work counter to the interests and efforts of 
        the majority of the people of Kosovo and signal that more work must be 
        done to promote the implementation of the Standards for Kosovo;
Whereas the status of Kosovo, which is neither stable nor sustainable, is a 
        critical issue affecting the aspirations of Southeast Europe for 
        stability, peace, and eventual membership in the European Union;
Whereas the authorities and institutions of Kosovo must be empowered to act 
        independently to achieve the Standards for Kosovo so that such 
        authorities and institutions may assume responsibility for any progress 
        or setbacks;
Whereas 2005 must be a year of decision for representatives of Kosovo, Serbia 
        and Montenegro, and the United Nations to move forward on the status of 
        Kosovo;
Whereas the basic values of multi-ethnicity, democracy, and market-orientation 
        must remain at the heart of any effort to resolve the question of the 
        future status of Kosovo; and
Whereas the support of all of the people of Kosovo is required to achieve a 
        successful outcome that addresses those basic values: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the unresolved status of Kosovo is neither sustainable 
        nor beneficial to the progress toward stability and peace in 
        Southeast Europe and its integration with Europe;
            (2) the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia and Montenegro and the 
        representatives of the United Nations should work toward an 
        agreement on the future status of Kosovo and a plan for 
        transformation in Kosovo;
            (3) such agreement and plan should--
                    (A) address the claims and satisfy the key concerns 
                of the people of Kosovo and the people of Serbia and 
                Montenegro;
                    (B) seek compromises from both Kosovo and Serbia 
                and Montenegro to reach an agreement;
                    (C) promote the integration of Southeast Europe 
                with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization;
                    (D) reinforce efforts to encourage full cooperation 
                by the governments of Kosovo and of Serbia and 
                Montenegro with the International Crimes Tribunal for 
                the Former Yugoslavia;
                    (E) promote stability in the region and take into 
                consideration the stability of democracy in Kosovo and 
                in Serbia and Montenegro;
                    (F) promote the active participation of Serbians in 
                Kosovo in elections and in the government of Kosovo; 
                and
                    (G) require the fulfillment of the Standards for 
                Kosovo, the requirements that the United Nations 
                Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo established to 
                advance stability in Kosovo, in accordance with prior 
                commitments and in support of the initiation of 
                discussions on status with particular emphasis on the 
                problem of human rights in minority communities;
            (4) the anticipated discussions of the long-term status of 
        Kosovo should result in a plan for implementing the Standards 
        for Kosovo, particularly with regard to minority protections, 
        return of property, and the development of rule of law as it 
        relates to the improvement of protection of minorities, the 
        return of internally displaced persons, the return of property, 
        and the prosecution of human rights violations; and
            (5) Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, and the United Nations, 
        during the negotiations related to the long-term status of 
        Kosovo, should require--
                    (A) increased monitoring and reporting of the 
                progress on the implementation of the Standards for 
                Kosovo and any incidents of human rights violations, 
                and should broaden the involvement of minorities and 
                community-level representatives in monitoring, 
                reporting, and publicizing that progress;
                    (B) that the authorities and institutions of Kosovo 
                be given greater authority and independence in 
                fulfilling the Standards for Kosovo, including assuming 
                the responsibility for any setbacks and progress and 
                acquiring experience in assuming greater autonomy; and
                    (C) a broad public awareness campaign to raise 
                awareness of both the plan to resolve the question of 
                the status of Kosovo and the requirements for the 
                transition of Kosovo to a permanent status, including 
                the importance of the progress in implementing the 
                Standards for Kosovo and the necessity of ensuring 
                peace and suppressing all forms of discrimination and 
                violence so that the region may move forward toward a 
                future of greater prosperity, stability, and lasting 
                peace.
                                 <all>