[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORTING RECONCILIATION WITHIN SRI LANKA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 84, a resolution 
introduced earlier today by Senator Casey.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 84) expressing support for internal 
     rebuilding, resettlement, and reconciliation within Sri Lanka 
     that are necessary to assure a lasting peace.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask 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 any statements be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 84) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 84

       Whereas May 19, 2010, marked the one-year anniversary of 
     the end of the 26-year conflict between the Liberation Tigers 
     of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka;
       Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka established a Lessons 
     Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to report 
     whether any person, group, or institution directly or 
     indirectly bears responsibility for incidents that occurred 
     between February 2002 and May 2009 and to recommend measures 
     to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future and 
     promote further national unity and reconciliation among all 
     communities;
       Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
     appointed a panel of experts, including Marzuki Darusman, the 
     former attorney general of Indonesia; Yazmin Sooka, a member 
     of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and 
     Steven Ratner, a lawyer in the United States specializing in 
     human rights and international law, to advise the Secretary-
     General on the implementation of the commitment of the 
     Government of Sri Lanka to human rights accountability;
       Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka expressed its 
     commitment to addressing the needs of all ethnic groups and 
     has recognized, in the past, the necessity of a political 
     settlement and reconciliation for a peaceful and just 
     society;
       Whereas the United States Government has yet to develop a 
     comprehensive United States policy toward Sri Lanka that 
     reflects the broad range of human rights, national security, 
     and economic interests; and
       Whereas progress on domestic and international 
     investigations into reports of war crimes, crimes against 
     humanity, and other human rights violations during the 
     conflict and promoting reconciliation would facilitate 
     enhanced United States engagement and investment in Sri 
     Lanka: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
     for creating the three-person panel to advise the Secretary-
     General on the implementation of the commitment of the 
     Government of Sri Lanka to human rights accountability;
       (2) calls on the Government of Sri Lanka, the international 
     community, and the United Nations to establish an independent 
     international accountability mechanism to look into reports 
     of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human 
     rights violations committed by both sides during and after 
     the war in Sri Lanka and to make recommendations regarding 
     accountability;
       (3) calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to allow 
     humanitarian organizations, aid agencies, journalists, and 
     international human rights groups greater freedom of 
     movement, including in internally-displaced persons camps; 
     and
       (4) calls upon the President to develop a comprehensive 
     policy towards Sri Lanka that reflects United States 
     interests, including respect for human rights, democracy and 
     the rule of law, economic interests, and security interests.

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