III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 311 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 14, 2005 Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Biden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Expressing support for the people of Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami and the assassination of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and urging support and respect for free and fair elections in Sri Lanka.

Whereas, on December 26, 2004, Sri Lanka was struck by a tsunami that left some 30,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of people homeless; Whereas the United States and the world community recognized the global importance of preventing that tragedy from spiraling into an uncontrolled disaster and sent aid to Sri Lanka to provide immediate relief; Whereas the massive tsunami reconstruction effort in Sri Lanka creates significant challenges for that country’s struggling democracy; Whereas the democratic process in Sri Lanka is further challenged by the refusal of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a group that the Secretary of State has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, to renounce violence as a means of effecting political change; Whereas, on August 12, 2005, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakhsman Kadirgamar was assassinated at his home in Colombo in a brutal terrorist act that has been widely attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by officials in Sri Lanka, the United States, and other countries; Whereas democratic elections are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka on November 17, 2005; Whereas nondemocratic foreign powers and private sources have reportedly been aiding and funding various political factions in Sri Lanka, including both extremist Sinhalese and extremist Tamil parties or groups; and Whereas the United States has an interest in a free and fair democratic process in Sri Lanka, and the peaceful resolution of the insurgency that has afflicted Sri Lanka for more than two decades: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)expresses its support for the people of Sri Lanka as they recover from the devastating tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004, and the assassination of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakhsman Kadirgamar on August 12, 2005; (2)expresses its support for the courageous decision by the democratically-elected Government of Sri Lanka, following the assassination of Foreign Minister Kadirgamar, to remain in discussions with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in an attempt to resolve peacefully the issues facing the people of Sri Lanka; (3)urges all parties in Sri Lanka to remain committed to the negotiating process and to make every possible attempt at national reconciliation; and (4)urges all outside parties, including governments of foreign countries, private individuals, and other organizations, to support and respect a free and fair democratic process in the Sri Lankan elections scheduled to be held on November 17, 2005, and to work to prevent extremist groups in Sri Lanka from interfering with that process.