[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 427 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 427

    To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace 
  Agreements with Cambodia and to call upon all signatories to those 
     Agreements to fulfill their commitments to secure a peaceful, 
            prosperous, democratic, and sovereign Cambodia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 26, 2021

   Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Romney, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Risch) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace 
  Agreements with Cambodia and to call upon all signatories to those 
     Agreements to fulfill their commitments to secure a peaceful, 
            prosperous, democratic, and sovereign Cambodia.

Whereas the agreements signed at the Paris Conference on Cambodia on October 23, 
        1991 (commonly referred to as the ``Paris Peace Agreements''), led to 
        the end of a brutal 12-year civil war in Cambodia and paved the way to 
        national reconciliation through the expulsion of foreign forces and the 
        guarantee of the right to self-determination of the Cambodian people 
        through free and fair elections;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements represented a landmark achievement for the 
        Cambodian people, Cambodia, the international community, and the United 
        States and are the foundation for the peace enjoyed by Cambodia today;
Whereas the United States was a party to the negotiation and conclusion of the 
        Paris Peace Agreements, which also included leadership and participation 
        of a broad international coalition composed of Australia, Brunei, 
        Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the 
        Philippines, Singapore, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 
        the United Kingdom, Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, and Cambodia;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements authorized the creation of the United Nations 
        Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), which was an unprecedented 
        international effort to help administer Cambodia and guide the country 
        as it emerged from years of civil war;
Whereas the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia successfully 
        prevented the resurgence of the genocidal Khmer Rouge, created the 
        atmosphere for national reconciliation, was instrumental to the return 
        of hundreds of thousands of Cambodian refugees to their homes, and laid 
        the groundwork for a new Constitution and free and fair elections that 
        featured broad participation;
Whereas, since the United Nations Security Council established the United 
        Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia through United Nations 
        Security Council Resolution 745 in 1992, the United States and the 
        international community have continued to support the peace, security, 
        and prosperity of Cambodia, as demonstrated through the delivery by the 
        United States of more than $1,500,000,000 in development assistance and 
        more than $3,000,000,000 in total assistance to Cambodia, according to 
        the Department of State;
Whereas the implementation of the Paris Peace Agreements established 
        institutions critical to peace, development, and freedom in Cambodia, 
        including the beginnings of a vibrant civil society and independent 
        media;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements set forth a democratic process for the 
        election of a constituent assembly that adopted the Constitution of the 
        Kingdom of Cambodia, which obligates the Kingdom to ``respect human 
        rights as stipulated in the United Nations Charter, the Universal 
        Declaration of Human rights, the covenants and conventions related to 
        human rights, women's and children's rights'';
Whereas the actions of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's 
        Party since 1993 to consolidate power, which have infringed on the 
        fundamental rights and freedoms of the Cambodian people and culminated 
        in the banning of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2017, 
        effectively turning Cambodia into a one-party state, violate the 
        Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and challenge the full 
        implementation of the Paris Peace Agreements;
Whereas the reported use of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand 
        by the People's Republic of China would be inconsistent with Cambodia's 
        status of neutrality under the Paris Peace Agreements, which the 
        Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia later defined, in part, as ``not 
        permit(ting) any foreign military base on its territory''; and
Whereas the politically motivated arrests of more than 150 people associated 
        with the Cambodia National Rescue Party since June 2019 and irregular 
        judicial prosecutions of detainees further undermine the intent of the 
        Paris Peace Agreements to allow full political participation in free and 
        fair elections: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) remains committed to the Cambodian people and their 
        aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, democratic, and 
        sovereign country, as envisioned in the agreements signed at 
        the Paris Conference on Cambodia on October 23, 1991 (commonly 
        referred to as the ``Paris Peace Agreements''), with the 
        support of the international community;
            (2) calls upon all signatories of the Paris Peace 
        Agreements, including Cambodian stakeholders, to reaffirm their 
        commitments under the Agreements, the fulfillment of which will 
        advance the peace, prosperity, rights, and freedoms enjoyed by 
        the Cambodian people 30 years after the signing of the 
        Agreements; and
            (3) emphasizes the need for the Government of Cambodia--
                    (A) to commit to free and fair multiparty elections 
                in the upcoming communal elections in 2022 and national 
                elections in 2023 as an expression of its commitment to 
                the self-determination of the Cambodian people;
                    (B) to uphold its commitments to protecting human 
                rights, democratic institutions, and free and fair 
                elections;
                    (C) to dismiss all politically motivated charges, 
                prosecutions, and sentencings of the opposition, 
                journalists, and civil society activists; and
                    (D) to refrain from actions that violate its status 
                of neutrality.
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