III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 566 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 25, 2010 Mr. Kerry (for himself and Mr. Lugar) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the situation in Kyrgyzstan.

Whereas on June 10, 2010, violence erupted between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and later spread to the city of Jalalabad, leaving at least several hundred dead and thousands injured; Whereas the outbreak of violence forced as many as 400,000 people to flee their homes, including an estimated 100,000 women and children who face desperate conditions along the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border; Whereas the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations agencies estimate that the violence could directly or indirectly affect more than 1,000,000 people; Whereas the displacement of ethnic Uzbeks and continuing instability in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan could destabilize the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and undermine the legitimacy of the referendum on constitutional reform scheduled for June 27, 2010; 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 Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in Osh have retreated into largely self-segregated neighborhoods, creating the potential for a permanent division into ethnic enclaves that could impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance and jeopardize the long-term stability of the country; Whereas rioting and violence in southern Kyrgyzstan could spread to other areas in the Ferghana Valley, which spans the countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and further exacerbate inter-ethnic competition for resources in the region; Whereas protracted instability in Kyrgyzstan and the wider region could provide a safe haven for extremists and criminal networks and obstruct efforts to combat the drug trade; 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, and economic and political reform in Central Asia are important priorities for the United States; 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 and climate change; and Whereas the potential for escalating violence in Kyrgyzstan concerns not only the United States and the people of Kyrgyzstan, but also the countries in the region and the international community: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Senate— (1)to call upon all parties in Kyrgyzstan to refrain from violence and attend to the civilians who have been displaced or injured as a result of the violence, paying particular attention to the ethnic Uzbek population along the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border; (2)that the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan should— (A)take immediate steps to restore order, the rule of law, and the democratic process; (B)address the underlying political, social, and economic tensions that divide Kyrgyz society for all citizens of Kyrgyzstan, regardless of ethnic background; and (C)bring to justice those responsible for the recent violence; (3)to support calls for a full and fair investigation into the causes of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan; (4)to welcome the commitment of more than $32,000,000 of the United States Government to Kyrgyzstan for programs supporting humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and community stabilization; (5)to commend the Government of Uzbekistan for cooperating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and other international nongovernmental organizations in meeting the urgent needs of Uzbek refugees; (6)that 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; (7)to call upon the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to help restore calm and order through— (A)strengthening the democratic institutions of Kyrgyzstan; (B)encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; (C)establishing a framework for dialogue among the ethnic communities; and (D)promoting confidence building measures between the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and ethnic communities; and (8)to commend 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.