[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 81--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING THE 
 CONTINUOUS REPRESSION OF FREEDOMS WITHIN IRAN AND OF INDIVIDUAL HUMAN 
            RIGHTS ABUSES, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO WOMEN

  Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Coleman, and Mr. Cornyn, 
and Mr. Campbell) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                               S. Res. 81

       Whereas the people of the United States respect the Iranian 
     people and value the contributions that Iran's culture has 
     made to world civilization for over 3 millennia;
       Whereas the Iranian people aspire to democracy, civil, 
     political, and religious rights, and the rule of law, as 
     evidenced by increasingly frequent antigoverment and anti-
     Khatami demonstrations within Iran and by statements of 
     numerous Iranian expatriates and dissidents;
       Whereas Iran is an ideological dictatorship presided over 
     by an unelected Supreme Leader with limitless veto power, an 
     unelected Expediency Council and Council of Guardians capable 
     of eviscerating any reforms, and a President elected only 
     after the aforementioned disqualified 234 other candidates 
     for being too liberal, reformist, or secular.
       Whereas the Iranian government has been developing a 
     uranium enrichment program that by 2005 is expected to be 
     capable of producing several nuclear weapons each year, which 
     would further threaten nations in the region and around the 
     world.
       Whereas the United States recognizes the Iranian peoples' 
     concerns that President Muhammad Khatami's rhetoric has not 
     been matched by his actions;
       Whereas President Khatami clearly lacks the ability and 
     inclination to change the behavior of the State of Iran 
     either toward the vast majority of Iranians who seek freedom 
     or toward the international community;
       Whereas political repression, newspaper censorship, 
     corruption, vigilante intimidation, arbitrary imprisonment of 
     students, and public executions have increased since 
     President Khatami's inauguration in 1997;
       Whereas men and women are not equal under the laws of Iran 
     and women are legally deprived of their basic rights;
       Whereas the Iranian government shipped 50-tons of 
     sophisticated weaponry to the Palestinian Authority despite 
     Chairman Arafat's cease-fire agreement, consistently seeks to 
     undermine the Middle East peace process, provides safe-haven 
     to al-Qa'ida and Taliban terrorists, allows transit of arms 
     for guerrillas seeking to undermine our ally Turkey, provides 
     transit of terrorists seeking to destabilize the United 
     States-protected safe-have in Iraq, and develops weapons of 
     mass destruction;
       Whereas since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 
     and despite rhetorical protestations to the contrary, the 
     Government of Iran has actively and repeatedly sought to 
     undermine the United States war on terror;
       Whereas there is a broad-based movement for change in Iran 
     that represents all sectors of Iranian society, including 
     youth, women, student bodies, military personnel, and even 
     religious figures, that is pro-democratic, believes in 
     secular government, and is yearning to live in freedom;
       Whereas following the tragedies of September 11, 2001, tens 
     of thousands of Iranians filled the streets spontaneously and 
     in solidarity with the United states and the victims of the 
     terrorist attacks; and
       Whereas the people of Iran deserve the support of the 
     American people; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) legitimizing the regime in Iran stifles the growth of 
     the genuine democratic forces in Iran and does not serve the 
     national security interest of the United States;
       (2) positive gestures of the United States toward Iran 
     should be directed toward the people of Iran, and not 
     political figures whose survival depends upon preservation of 
     the current regime; and
       (3) it should be the policy of the United States to seek a 
     genuine democratic government in Iran that will restore 
     freedom to the Iranian people, abandon terrorism, and live in 
     peace and security with the international community.

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