[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3514-S3515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 441--EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT OF THE SENATE FOR THE
RECONVENING OF THE PARLIAMENT OF NEPAL AND FOR AN IMMEDIATE PEACEFUL
TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. Biden, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations:
S. Res. 441
Whereas, in 1990, Nepal adopted a constitution that
enshrined multi-party democracy under a constitutional
monarchy, ending 3 decades of absolute monarchical rule;
Whereas, since 1996, Maoist insurgents have waged a violent
campaign to replace the constitutional monarchy with a
communist republic, which has resulted in widespread human
rights violations by both sides and the loss of an estimated
12,000 lives;
Whereas the Maoist insurgency grew out of the
radicalization and fragmentation of left wing parties
following Nepal's transition to democracy in 1990;
Whereas, on June 1, 2001, King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya
and other members of the Royal family were murdered, leaving
the throne to the slain King's brother, the current King
Gyanendra;
Whereas, in May 2002, in the face of increasing Maoist
violence, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba dissolved the
Parliament of Nepal;
Whereas, in October 2002, King Gyanendra dismissed Prime
Minister Deuba;
Whereas, in June 2004, after the unsuccessful tenures of 2
additional palace-appointed prime ministers, King Gyanendra
reappointed Prime Minister Deuba and mandated that he hold
general elections by April 2005;
Whereas, on February 1, 2005, King Gyanendra accused Nepali
political leaders of failing to solve the Maoist problem,
seized absolute control of Nepal by dismissing and detaining
Prime Minister Deuba and declaring a state of emergency,
temporarily shut down Nepal's communications, detained
hundreds of politicians and political workers, and limited
press and other constitutional freedoms;
Whereas, in November 2005, the mainstream political parties
formed a seven-party alliance with the Maoists and agreed to
a 12 point agenda that called for a restructuring of the
government of Nepal to include an end to absolute monarchical
rule and the formation of an interim all-party government
with a view to holding elections for a constituent assembly
to rewrite the Constitution of Nepal;
Whereas, since February 2005, King Gyanendra has
promulgated dozens of ordinances without parliamentary
process that violate basic freedoms of expression and
association, including the Election Code of Conduct that
seeks to limit media freedom in covering elections and the
Code of Conduct for Social Organizations that bars staff of
nongovernmental organizations from having political
affiliations;
Whereas King Gyanendra ordered the arrest of hundreds of
political workers in January 2006 before holding municipal
elections on February 8, 2006, which the Department of State
characterized as ``a hollow attempt by the King to legitimize
his power'';
Whereas the people of Nepal have been peacefully protesting
since April 6, 2006, in an attempt to restore the democratic
political process;
Whereas on April 10, 2006, the Department of State declared
that King Gyanendra's February 2005 decision ``to impose
direct palace rule in Nepal has failed in every regard'' and
called on the King to restore democracy immediately and to
begin a dialogue with Nepal's political parties;
Whereas King Gyanendra ordered a crackdown on the protests,
which has left at least 14 Nepali citizens dead and hundreds
injured by the security forces of Nepal;
Whereas the people of Nepal are suffering hardship due to
food shortages and lack of sufficient medical care because of
the prevailing political crisis;
Whereas King Gyanendra announced on April 21, 2006, that
the executive power of Nepal shall be returned to the people
and called on the seven-party alliance to name a new prime
minister to govern the country in accordance with the 1990
Constitution of Nepal;
Whereas the seven-party alliance subsequently rejected King
Gyanendra's April 21, 2006 statement and called on him to
reinstate parliament and allow for the establishment of a
constituent assembly to draw up a new constitution;
Whereas on April 24, 2006, King Gyanendra announced that he
would reinstate the Parliament of Nepal on April 28, 2006,
and apologized for the deaths and injuries that occurred
during the recent demonstrations, but did not address the
issue of constitutional revision;
Whereas political party leaders have welcomed King
Gyanendra's April 24th announcement and stated that the first
action of the reconvened parliament will be the scheduling of
elections for a constituent assembly to redraft the
Constitution of Nepal.
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses its support for the reconvening of the
Parliament of Nepal and for an immediate, peaceful transition
to democracy;
(2) commends the desire of the people of Nepal for a
democratic system of government and expresses its support for
their right to protest peacefully in pursuit of this goal;
(3) acknowledges the April 24, 2006 statement by King
Gyanendra regarding his intent to reinstate the Parliament of
Nepal;
(4) urges the Palace, the political parties, and the
Maoists to immediately support a process that returns the
country to multi-party democracy and creates the conditions
for peace and stability in Nepal;
(5) declares that the transition to democracy in Nepal must
be peaceful and that violence conducted by any party is
unacceptable and risks sending Nepal into a state of anarchy;
(6) calls on security forces of Nepal to exercise maximum
restraint and to uphold the highest standards of conduct in
their response to the protests;
[[Page S3515]]
(7) urges the immediate release of all political detainees
and the restoration of full civilian and political rights,
including freedom of association, expression, and assembly;
(8) urges the Maoists to lay down their arms and to pursue
their goals through participation in a peaceful political
process; and
(9) calls on the Government of the United States to work
closely with other governments, including the governments of
India, China, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, and
with the United Nations to ensure a common and coherent
international approach that helps to bring about an immediate
peaceful transition to democracy and to end the violent
insurgency in Nepal.
Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, as Members are aware, Nepal has been
gripped by demonstrations in support of democracy for the past 20 days.
At least 14 Nepali citizens have been killed in these protests and
hundreds more injured. The demonstrations follow 14 months of direct
rule by King Gyanendra and February 8, 2006, municipal elections that
the State Department characterized as a ``hollow attempt by the King to
legitimize his power.''
I am submitting today a resolution expressing the Senate's support
for the reconvening of the Nepali parliament and for an immediate,
peaceful transition to a democratic political process in the country.
This resolution urges the King, political parties, and Maoists to
support a process that returns the country to multi-party democracy and
creates the conditions for peace and stability in the country.
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