[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10836-S10837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REGARDING HORRIFIC TERRORIST ATTACKS AND SIEGE IN MUMBAI, INDIA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to S. Res. 724 submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 724) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate on the horrific terrorist attacks and siege in Mumbai, 
     India, beginning on November 26, 2008, and concluding on 
     November 29, 2008.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the 
table, that there be no intervening action or debate, and any 
statements related to this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 724) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 724

       Whereas, on the evening of November 26, 2008, evidence 
     strongly suggests that 10 terrorists came ashore into the 
     city of Mumbai, India, from a hijacked fishing trawler in the 
     Arabian Sea, and conducted coordinated attacks on major 
     hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and transportation hubs, and 
     a religious center;
       Whereas the attackers entered into a standoff with security 
     forces of the Government of India over the next 60 hours at a 
     number of sites, deliberately holding many hostages while 
     trapping other innocent victims with no means of escape;
       Whereas authorities of the Government of India brought the 
     horrific three-day siege of Mumbai to a close on the morning 
     of November 29, 2008;
       Whereas the final death toll from the siege exceeded 170 
     victims, with hundreds more injured;
       Whereas those murdered include citizens of India as well as 
     22 foreigners from 11 different countries, including the 
     following six United States citizens: Aryeh Leibish 
     Teitelbaum, Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg, Ben Zion Chroman, 
     Sandeep Jeswani, Alan Michael Scherr, and Naomi Leia Scherr.
       Whereas the terrorists who attacked Mumbai attacked a 
     symbol of religious pluralism and outreach, a Jewish outreach 
     center at the Nariman House, murdering six residents of the 
     Nariman House, including Rabbi Holtzberg and his five-month 
     pregnant wife, Rivka, orphaning their two-year old son, 
     Moshe, who was heroically rescued by his Indian nanny, Sandra 
     Samuel;
       Whereas nine of the attackers were found dead at various 
     sites where they were engaged in a standoff with authorities 
     of the Government of India, with only one surviving attacker 
     taken into custody;
       Whereas evidence collected to date suggests the involvement 
     of an Islamic militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, that has ties 
     to al Qaeda and operates out of Pakistan;
       Whereas India has endured a series of devastating terrorist 
     attacks in recent years, suffering 3,674 deaths from 
     terrorist attacks in a recent three-year period; and
       Whereas India, the world's largest democracy, is a 
     strategic partner of the United

[[Page S10837]]

     States, and this bilateral relationship is built on common 
     values and unity against extremism: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) affirms that the people of the United States stand in 
     unison with the people of India in the aftermath of these 
     horrific terrorist attacks;
       (2) condemns strongly the atrocities perpetrated against 
     the people of Mumbai, conveys its deepest condolences to the 
     families and loved ones of those killed, and expresses its 
     wishes for the speedy recovery of the hundreds of people 
     injured in these senseless attacks;
       (3) notes that these attacks did not only target citizens 
     of India, but represented a collective assault against the 
     international community, with 22 foreigners, including six 
     Americans, among those murdered;
       (4) noting that President Bush has offered United States 
     Government assistance, encourages the Government of India to 
     conduct a comprehensive investigation into the attacks and 
     applauds the tone of moderation and restraint exhibited by 
     the Government of India to date in reaction to these horrific 
     attacks;
       (5) urges the Government of Pakistan to investigate 
     aggressively the possible connection of groups based in 
     Pakistan, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, to the Mumbai 
     attacks and take definitive action to apprehend and detain 
     suspects, and is thus encouraged by the raid on an apparent 
     militant camp on December 7, 2008, and the arrest of key 
     suspects;
       (6) calls upon the Government of Pakistan to take all 
     necessary steps to root out all extremist groups operating on 
     its territory, halt attacks aimed at Pakistan and any other 
     countries, and ensure that no elements of the Government 
     support such groups;
       (7) strongly encourages President-elect Obama to consider 
     ways in which the United States Government can bolster 
     counter-terrorism cooperation with the Government of India to 
     ensure that authorities in that country possess all the 
     requisite equipment and training needed to prevent and 
     respond to future terrorist attacks; and
       (8) urges bolstered United States efforts to develop and 
     implement policies and projects to combat all forms of 
     religious extremism, including anti-Semitism, in order to 
     deter the type of targeted attacks like that waged against 
     the Chabad Lubavitch center in Mumbai.

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