[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 607 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 607

Admonishing the statements made by President Hugo Chavez at the United 
 Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006, and the undemocratic 
                      actions of President Chavez.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 30 (legislative day, September 29), 2006

   Mr. Bunning (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Allen, Mr. 
Chambliss, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Craig, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Inhofe, 
Mr. Isakson, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Frist, Mr. Kyl, Mr. 
   Sununu, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Martinez, and Mr. 
 Burns) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

                            December 6, 2006

             Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION



Admonishing the statements made by President Hugo Chavez at the United 
 Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006, and the undemocratic 
                      actions of President Chavez.

Whereas President Chavez referred to the President of the United States as ``the 
        devil'', and referred to the President as ``the spokesman of 
        imperialism'' for the efforts of the United States to aid the citizens 
        of Afghanistan and Iraq in the goal of those citizens to create a 
        permanent and viable representative government;
Whereas President Chavez made unsubstantiated claims that the United States had 
        set in motion a coup in Venezuela on April 11, 2002, and continues to 
        support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere;
Whereas, to consolidate his powers, President Chavez--

    (1) continues to weaken the separation of powers and democratic 
institutions of the Government of Venezuela;

    (2) survived a recall vote in August 2004 through questionably 
undemocratic actions;

    (3) decreed that all private property deemed ``not in productive use'' 
will be confiscated by the Government of Venezuela and redistributed to 
third parties;

    (4) enacted a media responsibility law that--

    G    (A) placed restrictions on broadcast media coverage; and

    G    (B) imposed severe penalties for violators of that law;

    (5) used other legal methods to silence media outlets that criticized 
his government; and

    (6) changed the penal code of Venezuela--

    G    (A) to restrict the rights of freedom of expression and freedom of 
association once enjoyed by the citizens of Venezuela; and

    G    (B) to increase jail terms for those convicted of criticizing the 
government of that country;

Whereas, in an effort to destabilize the democratic governments of other 
        countries in that region, President Chavez continues to support anti-
        democratic forces in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Nicaragua, as well as 
        radical and extremist parties in those countries;
Whereas President Chavez has repeatedly stated his desire to unite Latin America 
        to serve as a buffer against the people and interests of the United 
        States;
Whereas President Chavez has aligned himself with countries that are classified 
        by the Department of State as state sponsors of terrorism; and
Whereas President Chavez has developed a close relationship with the 
        totalitarian regime in Cuba, led by Fidel Castro, and has also 
        associated himself with other authoritarian leaders, including Kim Jong 
        Il of North Korea and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate condemns--
            (1) the statements made by President Hugo Chavez at the 
        United Nations General Assembly on September 20, 2006; and
            (2) the undemocratic actions of President Chavez.
                                 <all>