[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 89 (Thursday, June 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7395-S7397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.

[[Page S7396]]

  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 393) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate in support of United States policy in the Middle East 
     peace process.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I remove my reservation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  The question is on agreeing to the resolution. The clerk will call 
the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Lugar) 
is necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) 
is necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 95, nays 3, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 151 Leg.]

                                YEAS--95

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (FL)
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                                NAYS--3

     Byrd
     Jeffords
     Sununu

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Kerry
     Lugar
       
  The resolution (S. Res. 393) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 393

       Whereas the Road Map, endorsed by the United States, 
     Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, 
     Russia, and the United Nations, remains a realistic and 
     widely recognized plan for making progress toward peace;
       Whereas, on April 14, 2004, President Bush welcomed the 
     plan of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to remove certain 
     military installations and all settlements from Gaza, and 
     certain military installations and settlements from the West 
     Bank;
       Whereas under the Road Map, Palestinians must undertake an 
     immediate cessation of armed activity and all acts of 
     violence against Israelis anywhere, all Palestinian 
     institutions, organizations, and individuals must end 
     incitement against Israel, the Palestinian leadership must 
     act decisively against terror (including sustained, targeted, 
     and effective operations to stop terrorism and dismantle 
     terrorist capabilities and infrastructure), and Palestinians 
     must undertake a comprehensive and fundamental political 
     reform that includes a strong parliamentary democracy and an 
     empowered prime minister;
       Whereas Prime Minister Sharon noted Israel's 
     responsibilities under the Road Map include limitations on 
     the growth of settlements, removal of unauthorized outposts, 
     and steps to increase, to the extent permitted by security 
     needs, freedom of movement for Palestinians not engaged in 
     terrorism;
       Whereas there likely will be no security for Israelis or 
     Palestinians until they and all states join together to fight 
     terrorism and dismantle terrorist organizations;
       Whereas the United States remains committed to Israel's 
     security, and well-being as a Jewish State, including secure, 
     recognized, and defensible borders, and to preserving and 
     strengthening Israel's capability to deter enemies and defend 
     itself against any threat;
       Whereas Israel has the right to defend itself against 
     terrorism, including to take actions against terrorist 
     organizations that threaten Israel's citizens;
       Whereas, after Israel withdraws from Gaza and parts of the 
     West Bank, existing arrangements regarding control of 
     airspace, territorial waters, and land passages relating to 
     the West Bank and Gaza are planned to continue;
       Whereas, as part of a final peace settlement, Israel must 
     have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from 
     negotiations between the parties in accordance with United 
     Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338;
       Whereas, in light of realities on the ground, including 
     already existing major Israeli population centers, it is 
     unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status 
     negotiations will be a full and complete return to the 
     armistice lines of 1949, but realistic to expect that any 
     final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of 
     mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities;
       Whereas Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has stated: 
     ``the barrier being erected by Israel is a security rather 
     than political barrier, is temporary rather than permanent, 
     and should therefore not prejudice any final status issues 
     including final borders, and its route should take into 
     account, consistent with security needs, its impact on 
     Palestinian communities'';
       Whereas an agreed just, fair, and realistic framework for a 
     solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any 
     final status agreement will need to be found through the 
     establishment of a Palestinian state, and the settling of 
     Palestinian refugees there, rather than in Israel;
       Whereas the United States supports the establishment of a 
     Palestinian state that is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and 
     independent, so that the Palestinian people can build their 
     own future;
       Whereas the United States will join with others in the 
     international community to assist in fostering the 
     development of Palestinian democratic political institutions 
     and new leadership committed to those institutions, the 
     reconstruction of civic institutions, the growth of a free 
     and prosperous economy, and the building of capable security 
     institutions dedicated to maintaining law and order and 
     dismantling terrorist organizations; and
       Whereas in order to promote a lasting peace, all states 
     must oppose terrorism, support the emergence of a peaceful 
     and democratic Palestine, and state clearly that they will 
     live in peace with Israel: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) endorses the above-mentioned principles and practices 
     of United States policy in the Middle East, and ongoing 
     actions to make progress toward realizing the vision of two 
     states living side by side in peace and security, as a real 
     contribution toward peace, and as important steps under the 
     Road Map;
       (2) reaffirms its commitment to a vision of two states, 
     Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and 
     security as the key to peace; and
       (3) supports efforts to continue working with others in the 
     international community, to build the capacity and will of 
     Palestinian institutions to fight terrorism, dismantle 
     terrorist organizations, and prevent the areas from which 
     Israel has withdrawn from posing a threat to the security of 
     Israel.

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, in the world of diplomacy, some things are 
better left unsaid. For that reason, I would have preferred that 
President Bush not send the April 14, 2004 letter to Prime Minister 
Sharon.
  Nevertheless, I gave my qualified support to S. Res. 393 because 
Israeli withdrawal from Gaza has the potential to jumpstart the 
Israeli-Palestinian peace process. There have been too many missed 
opportunities already. It would be a shame to miss another one.
  My vote for S. Res. 393 is subject to two understandings. First, 
Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan should not be a substitute 
for bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians; and 
second, all final status issues should be mutually agreed upon by both 
parties.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, after the following judge vote, we are 
scheduled to consider another five additional judges this evening. Of 
the ones after this one--looking at those five--the next two are 
circuit judges, to be followed by three district judges.
  It has been cleared on this side to have voice votes on all of those 
five judges.
  I ask the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee if we could, out 
of consideration of the many different schedules tonight, voice vote 
the remaining nominations after the next rollcall vote.
  Mr. LEAHY. Well, Mr. President, in response to my friend from 
Tennessee, normally I would say: Have rollcall votes. I also know with 
the Defense authorization bill we had some very late night schedules. 
This is pushing up against the Fourth of July recess. I think the 
Senator from Tennessee, the Senator from South Dakota, and the 
respective whips have the hardest jobs

[[Page S7397]]

in the world trying to please everybody.
  I will tell my friend from Tennessee, if that would make his life 
easier, I would be happy to accommodate him.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I very much appreciate that.
  On behalf of our colleagues, I thank the Senator.
  Mr. LEAHY. I say to the majority leader, he has made a few other 
people happy.
  Mr. President, is it my understanding on the first one there is a 
rollcall vote?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. No rollcall vote has yet been ordered.

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