[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 97 (Friday, June 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5463-S5464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REGARDING KYRGYZSTAN
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to the
consideration of S. Res. 566.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 566) expressing the sense of the
Senate regarding the situation in Kyrgyzstan.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be
laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any
statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 566) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
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--
[[Page S5464]]
(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.
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