[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 520 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 520

 Condemning the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and expressing 
              condolences to the families of the victims.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 24, 2014

Mr. Murphy (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. Durbin, and Mrs. 
Shaheen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

                             July 29, 2014

              Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment

                             July 31, 2014

           Considered and agreed to with an amended preamble

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and expressing 
              condolences to the families of the victims.

Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 tragically crashed in 
        eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew, including 80 
        children;
Whereas President Barack Obama has offered President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko 
        all possible assistance to determine the cause of the crash, including 
        the services of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National 
        Transportation Safety Board;
Whereas intelligence analysis shows that the plane was shot down by an 
        antiaircraft missile fired from an area controlled by pro-Russian 
        separatists;
Whereas separatists have shot down more than 10 additional aircraft and took 
        credit for shooting down another aircraft at approximately the same time 
        as Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine;
Whereas separatists blocked international experts from accessing the crash site 
        in the first 72 hours, preventing the proper care of the victims' bodies 
        and allowing evidence from the crash to be removed and mishandled;
Whereas weapons and fighters have continued to flow across the border from the 
        Russian Federation to eastern Ukraine, and there is evidence that the 
        Government of the Russian Federation has been providing training to 
        separatists fighters, including training on air defense systems;
Whereas this tragic incident has demonstrated that European and other foreign 
        citizens are at risk from dangerous instability in Ukraine;
Whereas, on July 21, 2014, the United Nations Security Council condemned in the 
        strongest terms the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and demanded 
        that those responsible be held to account and that all states fully 
        cooperate with efforts to establish accountability;
Whereas British Prime Minister David Cameron asserted, ``Russia cannot expect to 
        continue enjoying access to European markets, European capital and 
        European knowledge and technical expertise while she fuels conflict in 
        one of Europe's neighbors.''; and
Whereas the United States Government has continued to implement sanctions 
        against Russian and Ukrainian individuals responsible for destabilizing 
        Ukraine and failing to end the violence: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 
        17 in Eastern Ukraine that resulted in the deaths of all 298 
        passengers and crew;
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
        the victims and the people of the Netherlands, Malaysia, 
        Australia, Indonesia, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, the 
        Philippines, Canada, and New Zealand;
            (3) supports the ongoing international investigation into 
        the attack on Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, including 
        unobstructed access to the crash site;
            (4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
        immediately stop the flow of weapons and fighters across the 
        border with Ukraine, allow an Organization for Security and Co-
        operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission on the border, 
        and fully cooperate with the international investigation 
        currently underway; and
            (5) urges the European Union to join the United States 
        Government in holding the Government of the Russian Federation 
        accountable for its destabilizing actions in Ukraine through 
        the use of increased sanctions.
                                 <all>