[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 97 (Friday, June 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S5462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

SENATE RESOLUTION 566--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
                        SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN

  Mr. KERRY (for himself and Mr. Lugar) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 566

       Whereas on June 10, 2010, violence erupted between ethnic 
     Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern city of Osh, 
     Kyrgyzstan, and later spread to the city of Jalalabad, 
     leaving at least several hundred dead and thousands injured;
       Whereas the outbreak of violence forced as many as 400,000 
     people to flee their homes, including an estimated 100,000 
     women and children who face desperate conditions along the 
     Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border;
       Whereas the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and 
     other United Nations agencies estimate that the violence 
     could directly or indirectly affect more than 1,000,000 
     people;
       Whereas the displacement of ethnic Uzbeks and continuing 
     instability in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan could 
     destabilize the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and 
     undermine the legitimacy of the referendum on constitutional 
     reform scheduled for June 27, 2010;
       Whereas the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan, which 
     came to power in April 2010 following large-scale opposition 
     protests against the regime of former president Kurmanbek 
     Bakiyev, has yet to fully extend its authority in the south 
     and build the capacity necessary to address underlying 
     political, social, and economic tensions;
       Whereas Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in Osh have retreated into 
     largely self-segregated neighborhoods, creating the potential 
     for a permanent division into ethnic enclaves that could 
     impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance and jeopardize 
     the long-term stability of the country;
       Whereas rioting and violence in southern Kyrgyzstan could 
     spread to other areas in the Ferghana Valley, which spans the 
     countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and 
     further exacerbate inter-ethnic competition for resources in 
     the region;
       Whereas protracted instability in Kyrgyzstan and the wider 
     region could provide a safe haven for extremists and criminal 
     networks and obstruct efforts to combat the drug trade;
       Whereas stability in Kyrgyzstan and the broader Central 
     Asia region, which borders Afghanistan, Iran, China, and 
     Russia, is important to the national security interests of 
     the United States;
       Whereas Central Asia plays a vital role in the United 
     States strategy for Afghanistan, including the transit center 
     at Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan that forms an 
     integral part of the northern supply route for North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization and United States-led coalition 
     operations in Afghanistan;
       Whereas promoting stability, respect for human rights, and 
     economic and political reform in Central Asia are important 
     priorities for the United States;
       Whereas economic growth and democratic political 
     development in Central Asia would provide a foundation for 
     improved cooperation with the United States in confronting an 
     array of global challenges, from nonproliferation and 
     counter-narcotics to energy security and climate change; and
       Whereas the potential for escalating violence in Kyrgyzstan 
     concerns not only the United States and the people of 
     Kyrgyzstan, but also the countries in the region and the 
     international community: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
       (1) to call upon all parties in Kyrgyzstan to refrain from 
     violence and attend to the civilians who have been displaced 
     or injured as a result of the violence, paying particular 
     attention to the ethnic Uzbek population along the 
     Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border;
       (2) that the Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan should--
       (A) take immediate steps to restore order, the rule of law, 
     and the democratic process;
       (B) address the underlying political, social, and economic 
     tensions that divide Kyrgyz society for all citizens of 
     Kyrgyzstan, regardless of ethnic background; and
       (C) bring to justice those responsible for the recent 
     violence;
       (3) to support calls for a full and fair investigation into 
     the causes of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan;
       (4) to welcome the commitment of more than $32,000,000 of 
     the United States Government to Kyrgyzstan for programs 
     supporting humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and community 
     stabilization;
       (5) to commend the Government of Uzbekistan for cooperating 
     with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the 
     International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and other 
     international nongovernmental organizations in meeting the 
     urgent needs of Uzbek refugees;
       (6) that the Government of Uzbekistan should maintain an 
     open border in order to ensure that the displaced and 
     vulnerable populations seeking refuge in Uzbekistan may avail 
     themselves of emergency humanitarian assistance and 
     protection services;
       (7) to call upon the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe to help restore calm and order 
     through--
       (A) strengthening the democratic institutions of 
     Kyrgyzstan;
       (B) encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental 
     freedoms;
       (C) establishing a framework for dialogue among the ethnic 
     communities; and
       (D) promoting confidence building measures between the 
     Provisional Government of Kyrgyzstan and ethnic communities; 
     and
       (8) to commend the efforts of relief organizations and all 
     persons responding to the immediate humanitarian needs of 
     those displaced by the recent outbreak of violence in 
     Kyrgyzstan.

                          ____________________