[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
     SENATE RESOLUTION 218--RELATING TO THE WAR IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

  Mr. SIMON (for himself and Mr. Reid) submitted a resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 218

       Whereas, the ongoing war between Nagorno-Karabakh 
     Armenians, supported in part by Armenia, and Azerbaijanis has 
     caused untold suffering on all sides, including economic 
     deprivations, military and civilian casualties, and 
     substantial movements of refugees;
       Whereas, this prolonged conflict is undermining the ability 
     of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish their identities 
     as fully sovereign and independent members of the 
     international community, which the United States supports;
       Whereas, the Minsk Group of the Conference on Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe, under the chairmanship of Jan Eliasson 
     of Sweden and with the participation of U.S., Armenian, 
     Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian, and Azerbaijani representatives, 
     succeeded in creating a package of confidence-building 
     measures including delivery of humanitarian supplies and 
     access to or the release of prisoners of war;
       Whereas, the Government of Azerbaijan has indicated a 
     willingness to resume normal economic relations with Armenia 
     and to negotiate a status for Nagorno-Karabakh based on 
     substantial autonomy, a willingness that should be explored;
       Whereas, the Government of Armenia and, to a lesser extent, 
     the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh have demonstrated their 
     willingness to resolve the conflict on mutually agreeable 
     terms;
       Whereas, Section 907 of P.L. 102-511 (``Freedom Support Act 
     of 1992'') prohibits the provision of U.S. assistance to the 
     Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines that 
     the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to 
     cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against 
     Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh;
       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) The President should direct that halting the war 
     between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Armenians on one side, 
     and Azerbaijanis on the other, should be a high priority of 
     United States foreign policy;
       (2) The President, acting through the Secretary of State, 
     should immediately launch a new high-level diplomatic 
     initiative to stop the war, based on the Minsk process, 
     including representatives of Russia and other parties to the 
     conflict, and making clear that:
       (a) The United States calls on the parties to adopt and 
     implement substantial confidence-building measures including 
     the lifting of barriers to shipment of humanitarian supplies, 
     and take immediate concrete steps to lift economic blockades 
     and resume normal economic relations;
       (b) The United States calls on the parties immediately to 
     discontinue all offensive military operations on territory 
     which both Armenia and Azerbaijan acknowledge to be the 
     territory of the other state, and to withdraw their forces 
     from such territory and show full respect for the sovereignty 
     and integrity of territory which is not disputed;
       (c) The United Nations should be enlisted to send observers 
     to the region--including U.S. observers--to monitor the 
     implementation of an effective cease-fire agreed by all the 
     parties;
       (d) The United States can only support a settlement of the 
     conflict which is accepted by all the parties with the 
     backing of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in 
     Europe;
       (e) The United States will use all its influence to oppose 
     any further sale, provision, or transfer, by any country, of 
     weapons and war material to Armenia, to the Nagorno-Karabakh 
     Armenians, or to Azerbaijan which could be used for purposes 
     of prolonging the war, and
       (f) The United States is prepared to launch a Trans-
     Caucasus Enterprise Fund, to include Armenia, Azerbaijan, and 
     Georgia, as an incentive for the lifting of blockades and 
     implementation of an effective cease-fire, which will promote 
     regional peace and economic prosperity;
       (3) The Senate welcomes the administration's efforts to 
     provide kerosene, seed wheat, and other urgently-needed 
     humanitarian supplies to Armenia, as well as technical 
     assistance for the transformation to the market economy;
       (4) The Senate welcomes steps taken by the administration 
     to extend U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan through the vehicle 
     of nongovernmental organizations;
       (5) Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act (P.L. 102-511) 
     was not intended as an anti-Azeri initiative, is not so 
     viewed today, and it should be repealed as soon as 
     Azerbaijani blockades are lifted.

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