[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1520 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1520

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
                situation in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 2010

 Mr. Pitts (for himself, Mr. Hastings of Florida, and Mr. Smith of New 
 Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
                situation in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Whereas, on June 27, 2010, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan successfully held a 
        referendum that legitimized the provisional government headed by 
        President Roza Otunbayeva and established the foundations for a 
        parliamentary system of government;
Whereas this referendum makes Kyrgyzstan the only country in the region to shift 
        the balance of power to its parliament, as opposed to a centralized 
        executive authority;
Whereas the provisional government was able to conduct the referendum peacefully 
        and as scheduled, despite the violence which erupted on June 10, 2010, 
        between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern city of Osh 
        and which later spread, leaving at least several hundred dead and 
        thousands injured;
Whereas the outbreak of violence in the south also forced as many as 400,000 
        people to flee their homes, most of whom are still displaced and in 
        continued need of humanitarian assistance;
Whereas the provisional government of Kyrgyzstan, which came to power in April 
        2010 following large-scale opposition protests against the regime of 
        former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has yet to fully extend its 
        authority in the south and build the capacity necessary to address 
        underlying political, social, and economic tensions;
Whereas parliamentary elections, are planned for October 10, 2010;
Whereas the planned parliamentary elections must be transparent and held in 
        accordance with international standards in order to be accepted as 
        legitimate by the country's electorate and serve as the bedrock of 
        Kyrgyzstan's long-term stability;
Whereas stability in Kyrgyzstan and the broader Central Asia region, which 
        borders Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Russia, is important to the 
        national security interests of the United States;
Whereas Central Asia plays a vital role in the United States strategy for 
        Afghanistan, including the transit center at Manas International Airport 
        in Kyrgyzstan that forms an integral part of the northern supply route 
        for North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United States-led coalition 
        operations in Afghanistan;
Whereas promoting stability, respect for human rights, economic development, and 
        democratic reform in Central Asia are important priorities for the 
        United States; and
Whereas economic growth and democratic political development in Central Asia 
        would provide a foundation for improved cooperation with the United 
        States in confronting an array of global challenges, from 
        nonproliferation and counter-narcotics to energy security: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) commends the peaceful conduct of the referendum 
                on June 27, 2010, and hopes that the new constitutional 
                order will promote greater democracy in the Republic of 
                Kyrgyzstan;
                    (B) regrets the loss of life in the recent ethnic 
                uprisings and expresses concern for the welfare of 
                those displaced;
                    (C) encourages the development of ties of 
                cooperation between Members of the House of 
                Representatives and the Senate with members of the 
                Parliament of Kyrgyzstan in order to strengthen the 
                newly created parliamentary system of governance in 
                Kyrgyzstan;
                    (D) commends the Government of Uzbekistan for 
                cooperating with the United Nations High Commissioner 
                for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red 
                Cross, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and 
                other international nongovernmental organizations in 
                meeting the urgent needs of ethnic Uzbek refugees who 
                fled Kyrgyzstan;
                    (E) calls upon the Organization for Security and 
                Cooperation in Europe to take an active role in 
                assisting the Government of Kyrgyzstan by--
                            (i) strengthening the democratic 
                        institutions of Kyrgyzstan;
                            (ii) encouraging respect for human rights 
                        and fundamental freedoms;
                            (iii) establishing a framework for dialogue 
                        and reconciliation among the ethnic 
                        communities;
                            (iv) enhancing the capacity of Kyrgyzstan's 
                        law enforcement to protect the civilian 
                        population against violence and threats of 
                        violence;
                            (v) supporting stability in Kyrgyzstan by 
                        deploying as quickly as possible a robust 
                        police monitoring mission; and
                            (vi) promoting confidence building measures 
                        between the Government of Kyrgyzstan and ethnic 
                        communities;
                    (F) welcomes the commitment of the United States to 
                provide $48,300,000 to the Government to Kyrgyzstan for 
                programs supporting humanitarian relief, 
                reconstruction, and community stabilization; and
                    (G) commends the efforts of relief organizations 
                and all persons responding to the immediate 
                humanitarian needs of those displaced by the recent 
                outbreak of violence in Kyrgyzstan; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) the Government of Kyrgyzstan should use its new 
                legitimacy to--
                            (i) take immediate steps to restore order, 
                        the rule of law, and to develop the democratic 
                        process by promoting open dialogue and a 
                        participatory, inclusive system of elections;
                            (ii) address the underlying political, 
                        social, and economic tensions that divide 
                        Kyrgyz society and take measures to improve 
                        relations between ethnic groups, and 
                        particularly to rebuild confidence with the 
                        minority Uzbek community;
                            (iii) bring to justice those who took part 
                        in the recent violence, and ensure that its 
                        military and police do not commit any abuses, 
                        including during investigations of the recent 
                        violence;
                            (iv) support a full and fair international 
                        investigation into the causes of the violence 
                        in southern Kyrgyzstan, which will serve as a 
                        confidence-building measure; and
                            (v) overcome the legacy of corruption left 
                        by the previous regimes and establish 
                        accountability to the public, by means of 
                        budget transparency, parliamentary oversight, 
                        and freedom of the media;
                    (B) the Government of Kyrgyzstan should ensure that 
                preparations for the upcoming parliamentary election 
                are transparent and that the election is held fully in 
                accordance with international standards;
                    (C) the Government of Kyrgyzstan should ensure that 
                there is sufficient time for preparation of the 
                parliamentary election, including registration of any 
                new parties and candidates, as well as campaigning, and 
                that displaced voters are not disenfranchised; and
                    (D) the Government of Uzbekistan should maintain an 
                open border in order to ensure that the displaced and 
                vulnerable populations seeking refuge in Uzbekistan may 
                avail themselves of emergency humanitarian assistance 
                and protection services.
                                 <all>