[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 368 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 368

 Supporting efforts by the Government of Colombia to pursue peace and 
     the end of the country's enduring internal armed conflict and 
recognizing United States support for Colombia at the 15th anniversary 
                           of Plan Colombia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2016

   Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Corker, and Mr. Kaine) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting efforts by the Government of Colombia to pursue peace and 
     the end of the country's enduring internal armed conflict and 
recognizing United States support for Colombia at the 15th anniversary 
                           of Plan Colombia.

Whereas, on October 1, 2000, President William Clinton, having worked with the 
        support of Republican majorities in the United States Senate and the 
        United States House of Representatives, commenced implementation of the 
        first United States foreign assistance package in support of Plan 
        Colombia;
Whereas Plan Colombia has received steadfast commitments from the 
        administrations of Presidents William Clinton, George W. Bush, and 
        Barack Obama, and continuously has been strengthened by broad bipartisan 
        support in the United States Congress;
Whereas the United States Congress, through Plan Colombia, has appropriated more 
        than $9,000,000,000 in foreign assistance to support initiatives of the 
        Government of Colombia to combat the illicit narcotics trade and 
        terrorism, confront irregular armed actors, advance democratic 
        governance, promote economic growth, defend human rights, and pursue a 
        strategy towards sustainable peace;
Whereas the Government of Colombia, throughout the administrations of Presidents 
        Andres Pastrana, Alvaro Uribe, and Juan Manuel Santos, has made 
        investments in Plan Colombia and carried out transformational efforts to 
        consolidate domestic security, socioeconomic development, and the rule 
        of law that far exceed those contributions made by the United States;
Whereas the United States and Colombia have forged a resolute bond through the 
        implementation of Plan Colombia, which has been bolstered by the support 
        of hundreds of thousands of Colombian-Americans and their contribution 
        to American life;
Whereas, over the past 15 years, levels of crime and violence have subsided 
        sharply in Colombia, with annual per capita homicide rates declining 
        from 62 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 27 per 100,000 people in 2014, and 
        the annual number of kidnappings decreasing from more than 3,000 in 1999 
        to less than 300 in 2014;
Whereas the alignment of improved security and sound economic policies has 
        translated into steady growth in Colombia's Gross Domestic Product, 
        which increased from $86,000,000,000 in 1999 to more than 
        $377,000,000,000 in 2014, and led to greater Foreign Direct Investment, 
        which grew from $1,500,000,000 in 1999 to one of the highest in Latin 
        America at $16,000,000,000 in 2014;
Whereas the Government of Colombia has made impressive strides in reducing 
        poverty during the last 15 years, with the poverty rate decreasing from 
        64 percent in 1999 to 28.5 percent in 2014, according to the World Bank;
Whereas, since 1999, the Government of Colombia has expanded the presence of the 
        state across all 32 territorial departments, has contributed to the 
        professionalism of the Colombian judiciary, and has improved the 
        capacity of the Colombian Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Police;
Whereas, in November 2012, the Government of Colombia entered into talks to 
        negotiate an end to the country's enduring conflict with the 
        Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a guerilla movement that 
        has ties to the illicit narcotics trade, has kidnapped Colombian and 
        United States civilians, and has been designated by the United States 
        Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas a half-century of conflict has taken a devastating toll on Colombia's 
        civilian population, has claimed the lives of more than 220,000 people, 
        and has left more than 6,500,000 people internally displaced, according 
        to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
Whereas the internal armed conflict has victimized all Colombians, including 
        women, children, and Afro-descendant and indigenous peoples, and has led 
        to the repeated targeting of leading representatives of civil society, 
        including trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, and 
        other community activists;
Whereas efforts to achieve lasting peace in Colombia must address the hardships 
        faced by victims of the armed conflict, as exemplified by the Government 
        of Colombia's Law on Victims and Restitution of Land of 2011;
Whereas the prospects for national reconciliation and sustainable peace in 
        Colombia rely on the effective delivery of justice for victims of the 
        conflict and the ability to hold accountable and appropriately punish 
        perpetrators of serious violations of human rights and international 
        humanitarian law; and
Whereas a potential accord between the Government of Colombia and the 
        Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) represents an opportunity 
        to end the enduring conflict in Colombia and bring peace to the 
        Americas: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the unwavering support of the Government and 
        people of the United States for the people of Colombia in their 
        pursuit of peace and their aspiration to live in a country free 
        of violent conflict;
            (2) commends efforts to bring an end to Colombia's enduring 
        internal armed conflict;
            (3) maintains its commitment to the victims of Colombia's 
        armed conflict and urges the negotiating parties to forge an 
        agreement that holds accountable perpetrators of serious 
        violations of human rights and international humanitarian law 
        and ensures that they are appropriately punished;
            (4) encourages the Government of Colombia to promote 
        informed public debate about the details of a potential peace 
        accord in advance of voter ratification;
            (5) encourages the Secretary of State to develop a 
        comprehensive, multiyear strategy to ensure the successful 
        implementation and sustainability of a potential peace accord 
        in Colombia, if such an accord is endorsed by the Colombian 
        people, and further strengthen the close bilateral partnership 
        shared by the Governments of the United States and Colombia; 
        and
            (6) reaffirms its commitment to continued partnership 
        between the United States and Colombia on issues of mutual 
        security, including counternarcotics cooperation, combating 
        transnational organized crime, and ensuring justice for those 
        who have caused indelible harm to our populations.
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