[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1166 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1166

    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 
     provocative and dangerous statements and actions taken by the 
  Government of the Russian Federation that undermine the territorial 
                 integrity of the Republic of Georgia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 29, 2008

  Mr. Wexler (for himself, Mr. Berman, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Shuster, Ms. 
   Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Engel, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Kind, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. 
Crowley, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Hinchey, 
Mr. Shimkus, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. McCotter, 
  Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. 
Sestak, Mr. Sires, Mr. Rothman, and Mr. Dreier) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 
     provocative and dangerous statements and actions taken by the 
  Government of the Russian Federation that undermine the territorial 
                 integrity of the Republic of Georgia.

Whereas, since 1993, the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia has 
        been reaffirmed by the international community, international law, and 
        32 United Nations Security Council resolutions;
Whereas the Government of the Republic of Georgia has pursued in good faith a 
        peaceful resolution of territorial conflicts in the regions of Abkhazia 
        and South Ossetia since the end of hostilities in 1993;
Whereas, on March 28, 2008, and on April 12, 2008, Georgian President Mikheil 
        Saakashvili introduced new and far-reaching peace proposals to resolve 
        the territorial conflict in Abkhazia, including international guarantees 
        of Abkhaz autonomy, broad political representation for the Abkhaz, the 
        right to veto legislation related to the constitutional status of 
        Abkhazia as well as its language and culture, the establishment of a 
        joint Free Economic Zone in the Gali region, and an offer for more 
        active involvement by the international community and Russian Federation 
        to help forge a peaceful resolution to the conflict;
Whereas, for several years, the Government of the Russian Federation has carried 
        out policies that seek to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of 
        Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia by awarding individuals in these 
        regions with Russian citizenship, Russian passports, economic subsidies, 
        and the right to vote in Russian elections;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has also detailed Russian 
        officials to take up positions in the separatist governments, provided 
        military equipment and support to separatists in the regions, and 
        encouraged Russian volunteers to serve in militias in Abkhazia and South 
        Ossetia;
Whereas the announcement from the Government of the Russian Federation on April 
        16, 2008, that it will establish ``official ties'' with the regions of 
        Abkhazia and South Ossetia, recognize their official documents and legal 
        entities, and further involve itself in aspects of their governments 
        appears to be a thinly veiled attempt at annexation;
Whereas, on April 20, 2008, tensions between the Russian Federation and the 
        Republic of Georgia further escalated when an unarmed and unmanned 
        Georgian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Georgian territory, 
        reportedly by a Russian MIG-29 fighter jet;
Whereas Russian officials have denied any involvement in the downing of the 
        reconnaissance plane, claiming that Abkhazian rebels were responsible 
        for the incident, although neither Georgia nor Abkhazian defense forces 
        have MIG-29 fighter jets;
Whereas the statements and counter-productive actions of the Government of the 
        Russian Federation in these regions has undermined the peace and 
        security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Republic of Georgia, and the 
        Caucasus region as a whole;
Whereas the consistent effort to undermine the sovereignty of a neighbor is 
        incompatible with the role of the Russian Federation as one of the 
        world's leading powers and with its commitments to international 
        peacekeeping made to the United Nations Security Council and the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and
Whereas, on April 23, 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated that 
        ``the United States is firmly committed to the territorial integrity and 
        sovereignty of Georgia, that we support Georgia's efforts to make 
        certain that the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia feel fully a part 
        of Georgia, and that we are very concerned at the recent move by the 
        Russian Federation, the presidential decree that was issued'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns recent decisions made by the Government of the 
        Russian Federation to establish ``official ties'' with the 
        regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a process that further 
        impedes reconciliation between those regions and the Government 
        of the Republic of Georgia and that violates the sovereignty of 
        the Republic of Georgia and the commitments of the Government 
        of the Russian Federation to international peacekeeping;
            (2) calls upon the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        immediately revoke its decision to establish ``official ties'' 
        with the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
            (3) strongly supports the restoration of the territorial 
        integrity of the Republic of Georgia and a peaceful resolution 
        of the conflicts within Georgia's internationally recognized 
        borders;
            (4) encourages the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        work with the Government of Georgia, the peoples of Abkhazia 
        and South Ossetia, and the international community to find a 
        peaceful solution to the conflict;
            (5) welcomes the measured reaction of the Government of the 
        Republic of Georgia to recent developments and commends 
        President Saakashvili's latest initiatives to resolve 
        territorial conflicts through peaceful means;
            (6) calls on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
        to conduct an investigation of the April 20, 2008, incident in 
        which an unarmed Georgian reconnaissance aircraft was shot down 
        by what reports indicate was a missile launched from a Russian 
        MIG-29 fighter jet;
            (7) urges all parties to the conflicts in the Republic of 
        Georgia and governments around the world to eschew rhetoric and 
        actions that escalate tensions and undermine efforts to 
        negotiate a peaceful settlement to the conflicts; and
            (8) supports the declaration of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization's (NATO) Bucharest Summit in Romania, which stated 
        that the Republic of Georgia will become a member of NATO, 
        reiterates its support for the commitment to further 
        enlargement of NATO to include democratic governments that are 
        able and willing to meet the responsibilities of membership, 
        and urges the foreign ministers of NATO member states at their 
        meeting in December 2008 to consider favorably the application 
        of the Government of the Republic of Georgia's Membership 
        Action Plan.
                                 <all>