[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 39 (Thursday, March 11, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRESSIONAL OPPOSITION TO THE UNILATERAL DECLARATION OF A PALESTINIAN 
                                 STATE

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now 
vote on Senate Concurrent Resolution 5.
  The clerk will report the concurrent resolution.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 5) expressing 
     congressional opposition to the unilateral declaration of a 
     Palestinian state and urging the President to assert clearly 
     United States opposition to such a unilateral declaration of 
     statehood.

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the concurrent 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the concurrent 
resolution. On this question, the yeas and nays were ordered. The clerk 
will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray) 
is absent because of a death in the family.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 1, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 38 Leg.]

                                YEAS--98

     Abraham
     Akaka
     Allard
     Ashcroft
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bryan
     Bunning
     Burns
     Campbell
     Chafee
     Cleland
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Coverdell
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Gorton
     Graham
     Gramm
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Helms
     Hollings
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     Mack
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Moynihan
     Murkowski
     Nickles
     Reed
     Reid
     Robb
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Roth
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith (NH)
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                                NAYS--1

       
     Byrd
       

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Murray
       
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 5) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

                             S. Con. Res. 5

       Whereas at the heart of the Oslo peace process lies the 
     basic, irrevocable commitment made by Palestinian Chairman 
     Yasir Arafat that, in his words, ``all outstanding issues 
     relating to permanent status will be resolved through 
     negotiations'';
       Whereas resolving the political status of the territory 
     controlled by the Palestinian Authority while ensuring 
     Israel's security is one of the central issues of the 
     Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
       Whereas a declaration of statehood by the Palestinians 
     outside the framework of negotiations would, therefore, 
     constitute a most fundamental violation of the Oslo process;
       Whereas Yasir Arafat and other Palestinian leaders have 
     repeatedly threatened to declare unilaterally the 
     establishment of a Palestinian state;
       Whereas the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state 
     would introduce a dramatically destabilizing element into the 
     Middle East, risking Israeli countermeasures, a quick descent 
     into violence, and an end to the entire peace process; and
       Whereas in light of continuing statements by Palestinian 
     leaders, United States opposition to any unilateral 
     Palestinian declaration of statehood should be made clear and 
     unambiguous: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       (1) the final political status of the territory controlled 
     by the Palestinian Authority can only be determined through 
     negotiations and agreement between Israel and the Palestinian 
     Authority;
       (2) any attempt to establish Palestinian statehood outside 
     the negotiating process will invoke the strongest 
     congressional opposition; and
       (3) the President should unequivocally assert United States 
     opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian 
     State, making clear that such a declaration would be a 
     grievous violation of the Oslo accords and that a declared 
     state would not be recognized by the United States.

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