III 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 591 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

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.