[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 177 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 177

     Expressing support for internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2011

Mr. Grimm submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing support for internal rebuilding, resettlement, and 
reconciliation within Sri Lanka that are necessary to ensure a lasting 
                                 peace.

Whereas May 19, 2010, marked the one-year anniversary of the end of the 26-year 
        conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the 
        Government of Sri Lanka;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka established a Lessons Learned and 
        Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to report whether any person, group, or 
        institution directly or indirectly bears responsibility for incidents 
        that occurred between February 2002 and May 2009 and to recommend 
        measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future and 
        promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities;
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed a panel of 
        experts, including Marzuki Darusman, the former attorney general of 
        Indonesia, Yazmin Sooka, a member of South Africa's Truth and 
        Reconciliation Commission, and Steven Ratner, a lawyer in the United 
        States specializing in human rights and international law, to advise the 
        Secretary-General on the implementation of the commitment of the 
        Government of Sri Lanka to human rights accountability;
Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka expressed its commitment to addressing the 
        needs of all ethnic groups and has recognized, in the past, the 
        necessity of a political settlement and reconciliation for a peaceful 
        and just society;
Whereas the United States Government has yet to develop a comprehensive United 
        States policy toward Sri Lanka that reflects the broad range of human 
        rights, national security, and economic interests; and
Whereas progress on domestic and international investigations into reports of 
        war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations 
        during the conflict and promoting reconciliation would facilitate 
        enhanced United States engagement and investment in Sri Lanka: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
        for creating the three-person panel to advise the Secretary-
        General on the implementation of the commitment of the 
        Government of Sri Lanka to human rights accountability;
            (2) urges the Government of Sri Lanka, the international 
        community, and the United Nations to establish an independent 
        international accountability mechanism to look into reports of 
        war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights 
        violations committed by both sides during and after the war in 
        Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding accountability;
            (3) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian 
        organizations, aid agencies, journalists, and international 
        human rights groups greater freedom of movement, including in 
        internally displaced persons camps; and
            (4) insists that the President develop a comprehensive 
        policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United States interests, 
        including respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of 
        law, economic interests, and security interests.
                                 <all>