[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 45 (Friday, April 15, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3759-S3760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENSURING DEMOCRATIC REFORM IN THE KURDISH REPUBLIC
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 111 which was submitted earlier
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 111) urging the United States to
increase its efforts to ensure democratic reform in the
Kurdish Republic.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, this resolution urges the United States to
increase its efforts to ensure democratic reform in the Kyrgyz
Republic.
The Kyrgyz Republic has held two rounds of parliamentary elections,
the first on February 27 the second on March 13. While both election
rounds showed progress toward the goal of a free, fair, and transparent
election process, the elections fell short of the Kyrgyz Republic's
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's OSCE and
international commitments to fully meet the accepted criteria for
democratic elections.
Violations included instances of vote buying, questionable
disqualification of candidates and interference with the media.
Inspired by the recent revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, the people
of the Kyrgyz Republic rose against their corrupt government to demand
respect for their democratic rights. Nationwide demonstrations sparked
by the flawed parliamentary elections led to the departure of President
Askar Akayev on March 22. The opposition moved quickly to consolidate
control and established an interim government. On April 4, President
Akayev officially resigned. But the situation remains fluid. The
outcome in the Kyrgyz Republic is critically important for its future,
and for people living in the Central Asia region, who hope for a
democratic future.
The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have formed a close
relationship since it declared independence from the Soviet Union in
1991. The United States has provided humanitarian assistance, nonlethal
military assistance, and assistance to support economic and political
reforms. The Kyrgyz Republic also hosts a U.S. military base that
provides crucial support to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
However, while the Kyrgyz Republic has advanced quickly in the area
of democratic reform since 1991, it has experienced setbacks in recent
years. I urge the United States in my resolution to continue its strong
support for democratic reform in the Kyrgyz Republic, including respect
for the rule of law and human rights.
I also call upon the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic to
move swiftly toward democratic government ratified by the Kyrgyz people
by holding free, fair, and transparent presidential elections on July
10, and by ensuring that the new parliament represents the choice of
the Kyrgyz people. The United States must provide strong leadership in
countries where democracy is still taking root.
I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed
to, the preamble agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon
the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 111) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:
S. Res. 111
Whereas on August 31, 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic declared
independence from the Soviet Union;
Whereas the Kyrgyz Republic was ruled by President Askar
Akayev from October 1991 to April 2005;
Whereas the Kyrgyz Republic held a first round of
parliamentary elections on February 27, 2005;
Whereas the United States Government recognized several
areas of improvement in the parliamentary elections in the
Kyrgyz Republic, including competitive elections and the
active participation of civil society, but it noted the
elections fell short of the commitments of the Kyrgyz
Republic to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) and other international entities to fully meet
the accepted criteria for democratic elections;
Whereas nation-wide demonstrations sparked by the flawed
parliamentary elections in the Kyrgyz Republic led to the
departure of President Akayev and the collapse of his
government on March 22, 2005;
Whereas Askar Akayev officially resigned as President of
the Kyrgyz Republic on April 4, 2005;
Whereas the Kyrgyz people, through their actions, have
created an opportunity for a democratic and stable future for
the Kyrgyz Republic;
Whereas the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic can
earn the confidence of the Kyrgyz people and the
international community by abiding by its commitment to hold
free and fair presidential elections on July 10, 2005, and by
ensuring that the members of the new parliament in the Kyrgyz
Republic represent the choice of the Kyrgyz people;
Whereas the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic can
move towards resolving the political crisis in the Kyrgyz
Republic in a way that confirms the will of the Kyrgyz people
by working closely with its immediate neighbors and with the
OSCE;
Whereas the United States strongly supports efforts by the
OSCE to work with the
[[Page S3760]]
Kyrgyz people to strengthen democratic institutions in the
Kyrgyz Republic, which will provide the foundation for
political stability in the Kyrgyz Republic;
Whereas the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic value a
good relationship;
Whereas the United States provides humanitarian assistance,
nonlethal military assistance, and assistance to support
economic and political reforms as part of the democratic
transition process in the Kyrgyz Republic; and
Whereas security in the Kyrgyz Republic remains a top
concern of the United States due to its strong support of the
United States in the global war on terrorism: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) welcomes the official resignation of Askar Akayev as
President of the Kyrgyz Republic;
(2) acknowledges and welcomes the close relationship formed
between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic since it
declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 31,
1991;
(3) supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial
integrity of the Kyrgyz Republic;
(4) urges the continuation of strong support for democratic
reform, including respect for the rule of law and human
rights, in the Kyrgyz Republic;
(5) urges the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic to
move swiftly toward the democratic government ratified by the
Kyrgyz people by holding free, fair, and transparent
presidential elections on July 10, 2005, and by ensuring that
the new parliament in the Kyrgyz Republic represents the
choice of the Kyrgyz people; and
(6) urges the people of the Kyrgyz Republic to take
advantage of the readiness of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to expand its assistance in
preparing for free and fair presidential elections in the
Kyrgyz Republic as the foundation of political legitimacy and
stability in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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