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
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.