[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 591 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 591

 Calling for the strengthening of the efforts of the United States to 
 defeat the Taliban and terrorist networks in Afghanistan and to help 
    Afghanistan develop long-term political stability and economic 
                              prosperity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 29, 2006

   Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Kerry) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling for the strengthening of the efforts of the United States to 
 defeat the Taliban and terrorist networks in Afghanistan and to help 
    Afghanistan develop long-term political stability and economic 
                              prosperity.

Whereas global terrorist networks, including those that attacked the United 
        States on September 11, 2001, continue to threaten the security of the 
        United States and are recruiting new members and developing the 
        capability and plans to attack the United States and its allies 
        throughout the world;
Whereas winning the fight against terrorist networks requires a comprehensive 
        and global effort;
Whereas, according to the Final Report of the National Commission on the 
        Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, ``The U.S. government must 
        identify and prioritize actual or potential terrorist sanctuaries. For 
        each, it should have a realistic strategy to keep possible terrorists 
        insecure and on the run, using all elements of national power.'';
Whereas a democratic, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan is a vital security 
        interest of the United States;
Whereas a strong and enduring strategic partnership between the United States 
        and Afghanistan must continue to be a primary objective of both 
        countries to advance a shared vision of peace, freedom, security, and 
        broad-based economic development in Afghanistan and throughout the 
        world;
Whereas the long-term political stability of Afghanistan requires sustained 
        economic development, and the United States has an interest in helping 
        Afghanistan achieve this goal;
Whereas section 101(1) of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 
        7511(1)) declares, ``The United States and the international community 
        should support efforts that advance the development of democratic civil 
        authorities and institutions in Afghanistan and the establishment of a 
        new broad-based, multi-ethnic, gender-sensitive, and fully 
        representative government in Afghanistan.'';
Whereas the Government of Afghanistan continues to make progress in developing 
        the capacity to deliver services to the people of Afghanistan, yet 40 
        percent of the population is unemployed and 90 percent of the population 
        lacks regular electricity;
Whereas stability in Afghanistan is being threatened by antigovernment and 
        Taliban forces that seek to disrupt political and economic developments 
        throughout the country;
Whereas the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police have made some 
        progress but still lack the ability to establish security throughout 
        Afghanistan;
Whereas, despite the efforts of the international community, the United Nations, 
        and the Government of Afghanistan, on September 2, 2006, the United 
        Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that in 2006 opium poppy 
        cultivation in Afghanistan increased 59 percent over 2005 levels and 
        reached a record high;
Whereas the number of attacks waged by the Taliban on central, provincial, and 
        local-level government officials and establishments, the Afghan National 
        Army, the Afghan National Police, and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 
        (NATO) and United States military personnel increased significantly 
        during 2006 over the number of such attacks that occurred during 2005;
Whereas the number of suicide bombings in Afghanistan doubled and the number of 
        suicide attacks more than tripled from 2005 to 2006;
Whereas the number of United States troops in Afghanistan is approximately 
        23,000, approximately \1/7\ of the number of troops currently in Iraq;
Whereas Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are still at large and have been 
        reported to be somewhere in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region;
Whereas Afghan President Hamid Karzai said, ``The same enemies that blew up 
        themselves in . . . the twin towers in America are still around.'';
Whereas, on September 12, 2006, the United States Secretary of State said, 
        ``[A]n Afghanistan that does not complete its democratic evolution and 
        become a stable terrorist-fighting state is going to come back to haunt 
        us. . . . [I]t will come back to haunt our successors and their 
        successors.'', and ``If we should have learned anything, it is that if 
        you allow that kind of vacuum, if you allow a failed state in that 
        strategic a location, you're going to pay for it.'';
Whereas, on September 21, 2006, the Secretary General of NATO called for 
        additional troops for Afghanistan, saying, ``more can be done and should 
        be done,'' and on September 18, 2006, the top United Nations official in 
        Afghanistan said that more troops and economic aid are still needed, 
        saying, ``These are difficult times for Afghanistan. . . . If we want to 
        succeed in Afghanistan, the answer is clear: Afghanistan needs more 
        sustained support from the international community.'';
Whereas United States assistance to Afghanistan was cut by approximately 30 
        percent in fiscal year 2006 and the President's request for fiscal year 
        2007 cut that amount by an additional 67 percent;
Whereas only 50 percent of the money pledged by the international community for 
        Afghanistan between 2002 and 2005 has actually been delivered;
Whereas, on September 20, 2006, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe said, 
        ``Narcotics [are] at the core of everything that can go wrong in 
        Afghanistan if it's not properly tackled.'' and ``We're not making 
        progress--we're losing ground.'';
Whereas, if the United States does not strengthen efforts to defeat the Taliban 
        and to create long-term stability in Afghanistan and the region, 
        Afghanistan will become what it was before the September 11, 2001, 
        terrorist attacks, a haven for those who seek to harm the United States, 
        and a source of instability that threatens the security of the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the United States must strengthen its commitment to 
        establishing long-term stability and peace in Afghanistan;
            (2) the United States, in partnership with the 
        International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the 
        Government of Afghanistan, must immediately increase its 
        efforts to eradicate the Taliban, terrorist organizations, and 
        criminal networks currently operating in Afghanistan, including 
        by increasing United States military and other personnel and 
        equipment in Afghanistan as necessary;
            (3) the United States, in consultation with ISAF and the 
        Government of Afghanistan, should consider all options 
        necessary to implement a comprehensive new program to eliminate 
        opium production in Afghanistan, including sending additional 
        resources to Afghanistan and an increased role for the United 
        States military and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) 
        forces in counternarcotics efforts;
            (4) the United States should work aggressively to hold 
        members of the international community accountable for 
        delivering on the financial pledges they have made to support 
        development and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan;
            (5) the United States and the international community, in 
        concert with the Government of Afghanistan, should increase 
        efforts to strengthen the legitimacy of the Government of 
        Afghanistan and its ability to provide services to the people 
        of Afghanistan;
            (6) the United States, in support of the Government of 
        Afghanistan, should significantly increase the amount of 
        economic assistance available for reconstruction, social and 
        economic development, counternarcotics efforts, and democracy 
        promotion activities in Afghanistan;
            (7) the President, through the Secretary of State, should 
        develop a comprehensive interagency stabilization and 
        reconstruction strategy in coordination with the international 
        community and the Government of Afghanistan that--
                    (A) aligns humanitarian, development, economic, 
                political, counterterrorism, and regional strategies to 
                achieve the objectives of the United States and 
                Afghanistan in Afghanistan; and
                    (B) orients current and future programs to meet the 
                objectives set forth in this strategy;
            (8) the President, through the Secretary of Defense, should 
        evaluate the impact that United States military operations in 
        Iraq are having on the capability of the United States 
        Government to effectively carry out its mission to support 
        reconstruction efforts and to conduct an effective 
        counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan; 
        and
            (9) the President, not later than 6 months after the date 
        this resolution is agreed to, should present to Congress a 
        status report on the items referred to in paragraphs (2) 
        through (8), including a projection of future challenges and 
        the resource requirements necessary to continue to support 
        counterterrorism and counternarcotic efforts and Afghanistan's 
        transition to a peaceful, democratic country.
                                 <all>