[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 145 (Monday, September 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9039-H9040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ENCOURAGING THE PEACE PROCESS IN SRI LANKA

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 181) encouraging the peace process in Sri 
Lanka.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 181

       Whereas, the United States has enjoyed a long and cordial 
     friendship with Sri Lanka;
       Whereas as one manifestation of the warm ties between the 
     United States and Sri Lanka, the First Lady of the United 
     States visited Sri Lanka in April 1995;
       Whereas Sri Lanka is a vibrant democracy whose government 
     is committed to political pluralism, free market economics, 
     and a respect for human rights;
       Whereas the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (``LTTE'') 
     have waged a protracted secessionist struggle in Sri Lanka 
     for nearly 12 years;
       Whereas an estimated 30,000 people have died in Sri Lanka 
     as a result of these hostilities;
       Whereas the Department of State's report on global 
     terrorism names the LTTE as a major terrorist organization;
       Whereas the LTTE is widely believed to have engaged in 
     political assassinations, including the murder in 1994 of a 
     leading candidate for the Sri Lankan presidency, and the 
     killing in 1993 of President Ranasinghe Premadasa;
       Whereas the government of President Kumaratunga initiated a 
     dialogue with the LTTE in 1994, and took a number of other 
     steps to ease tensions and set the stage for negotiations 
     between the government and the LTTE, including lifting the 
     ban on the transit of many commodities to Jaffna;
       Whereas a cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka went into 
     effect on January 8, 1995;
       Whereas 4 rounds of peace talks between the government and 
     the LTTE took place; and
       Whereas in April 1995, the LTTE withdrew from these 
     negotiations and resumed military operations against the 
     Government of Sri Lanka that have resulted in hundreds of 
     casualties, including many innocent civilians: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) notes with great satisfaction the warm and friendly 
     relations that exist between the United States and Sri Lanka;
       (2) applauds the commitment to democracy demonstrated by 
     the Sri Lankan people, in defiance of brutal acts of wanton 
     terrorism;
       (3) commends the Sri Lankan people and the Government of 
     Sri Lanka for the significant improvements in Sri Lanka in 
     the area of human rights;
       (4) applauds the cessation of hostilities in early 1995 
     between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers 
     of Tamil Eelam (``LTTE'') and deplores the resumption of 
     fighting;
       (5) calls on the LTTE to desist in its resort to arms, and 
     to return to the negotiating table;
       (6) calls on all parties to negotiate in good faith with a 
     view to ending the current armed strife in Sri Lanka and to 
     finding a just and lasting political settlement to Sri 
     Lanka's ethnic conflict while assuring the territorial 
     integrity of Sri Lanka;
       (7) believes that a political solution, including 
     appropriate constitutional structures and adequate protection 
     of minority rights, is the path to a comprehensive and 
     lasting peace in Sri Lanka;
       (8) denounces all political violence and acts of terrorism 
     in Sri Lanka, and calls upon those who espouse such methods 
     to reject these methods and to embrace dialogue, democratic 
     norms, and the peaceful resolution of disputes;
       (9) calls on all parties to respect the human rights of the 
     Sri Lankan people; and
       (10) states its willingness in principle to see the United 
     States lend its good offices to help resolve the ethnic 
     conflict in Sri Lanka, if so desired by all parties to the 
     conflict.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Wynn] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter].
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, located at the southern tip of the South 
Asia subcontinent, the tiny Indian Ocean island nation of Sri Lanka 
has, for the last decade and a half, been the site of one of the 
bloodiest ethnic wars. The conflict has pitted the separatist 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam--or Tamil Tigers--against the 
democratically elected government in Colombo, with at least 30,000--and 
possibly as many as 50,000--Sri Lankans of all ethnic persuasions 
perishing in this bloody conflict.
  With both sides weary of the unrelenting bloodshed, a cessation of 
hostilities went into effect at the beginning of 1995, and the 
government and the Tamil rebels entered into a series of peace talks. 
Regrettably, this peace that was short lived, and the Tamil Tigers 
unilaterally resumed their attacks on April 19. The recent attacks have 
been particularly brutal, with a pair of transport aircraft being shot 
down, and a fishing village burned to the ground with massive loss of 
life.
  In retaliation, the government has launched its inevitable offensive 
against Tiger-held territory, with government forces cutting a broad 
swath through positions long controlled by the rebels, thereby causing 
hundreds of casualties and displacing thousands of noncombatants.
  This pattern of rebel offensives and government counteroffensives is 
all to familiar. Over the past dozen years, this cycle has been 
repeated time and time again. House Resolution 181 calls on the parties 
to break out of this vicious cycle of death and destruction. The 
resolution recognizes the good faith efforts of the Sri Lankan 
Government to work for peace, and commends the dramatic improvement in 
the government's human rights practices. It also denounces all acts of 
violence and terrorism, regardless of the perpetrator.
  House Resolution 181 calls on the parties to negotiate in good faith 
with a view to ending the conflict and finding a just and lasting 
peaceful settlement to the ethnic divisions while assuring the 
territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

  The resolution also encourages the United States to lend its good 
offices to help in resolving the conflict, if so desired by the 
combating parties.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution passed unanimously out of the 
International Relations Committee. I would congratulate the ranking 
Democrat of the full committee, Mr. Hamilton, for his initiative in 
drafting this resolution. First, it recognizes the very real efforts 
made by the ruling government to respect basic human rights and achieve 
a just peace. As House Resolution 181 notes, the resolution recognizes 
that improvements have indeed occurred.
  Second, the resolution places the House squarely on the side of peace 
in a conflict that has been every bit as brutal as the war in Bosnia.
  Mr. Speaker, this Member is pleased to cosponsor the excellent 
resolution of 

[[Page H 9040]]
the distinguished gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton] and would urge 
its passage. This Member would also note the thoughtful and important 
contribution made by the distinguished chairman of the International 
Relations Committee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1320

  (Mr. WYNN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge support for this resolution.
  Sri Lanka has been wracked by a bloody civil war that has claimed the 
lives of at least 30,000, and perhaps as many as 50,000 people.
  Sri Lanka is a country of only 18 million people. If the United 
States lost a comparable number of people, 730,000 Americans would have 
been killed.
  Last winter the democratically elected President of Sri Lanka, 
President Kumaratunga opened a dialog with the insurgent Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known as the LTTE.
  Unfortunately, after four rounds of talks, the LTTE withdrew from the 
negotiations this past April and resumed military operations against 
the government--without provocation and in violation of the cease-fire.
  Since the breakdown of the talks in April, the fighting has been 
heavy, producing many casualties, not only among the combatants but 
also among the civilian population.
  Last month, the Sri Lankan Government, in an effort to reach out to 
the minority Tamil community, unveiled a plan that provides for a 
significant devolution of power to the provinces.
  It is not for us to pass judgment on the merits of this or any other 
plan, but I think we can all applaud this effort to settle Sri Lanka's 
problems politically rather than militarily.
  House Resolution 181 calls on the LTTE to return to the negotiating 
table, and urges all parties to negotiate in good faith with a view to 
finding a just and lasting political resolution to Sri Lanka's ethnic 
conflict.
  It does not take sides in the conflict, but it does call for a 
political settlement that provides adequate protection for minority 
rights.
  It does not commit the United States to any specific course of 
action, but it does indicate our willingness, in principle, to see the 
United States lend its good offices to help resolve the conflict, if 
this is desired by all parties.
  This resolution has bipartisan support. It has the support of the 
administration as well.
  I want to commend the chairman of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, 
Mr. Bereuter, and the ranking member, Mr. Berman, who have worked 
closely with me as cosponsors of this resolution.
  I urge my colleagues to put the House on record in support of a 
peaceful resolution of this ongoing tragedy in Sri Lanka.
  I urge a ``yea'' vote on House Resolution 181.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I commend the chairman of the Asia and 
Pacific Subcommittee, Mr. Bereuter, and the ranking minority member, 
Mr. Berman, for their work on this resolution. And I commend the 
ranking minority member, Mr. Hamilton for his efforts in crafting the 
resolution.
  The conflict in Sri Lanka has gone on for nearly 12 years and so many 
lives--some 30,000--have been lost. The LTTE took the promising young 
life of Rajiv Gandhi and in 1994 a bomb attack killed the opposition 
presidential candidate along with more than 50 others. The State 
Department's human rights report for 1994 concludes that the government 
has used excessive force in the conflict.
  As the resolution suggests, the United States could play a role in 
resolving the crises if the two disputing parties desire it. It is 
believed that the current government of President Kumaratunga is 
serious about working with the LTTE is finding a mutually agreeable 
solution. If our Government can play a role it would be an honor for 
all of us to help end the bloodshed.
  Accordingly I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 181.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 181.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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