[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 117 (Thursday, July 24, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S4909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 520--CONDEMNING THE DOWNING OF MALAYSIA AIRLINES 
  FLIGHT 17 AND EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS

  Mr. MURPHY (for himself and Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 520

       Whereas, on July 17, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 
     tragically crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 
     passengers and crew, including 80 children;
       Whereas President Barack Obama has offered President of 
     Ukraine Petro Poroshenko all possible assistance to determine 
     the cause of the crash, including the services of the Federal 
     Bureau of Investigations and the National Transportation 
     Safety Board;
       Whereas intelligence analysis shows that the plane was shot 
     down by an antiaircraft missile fired from an area controlled 
     by pro-Russian separatists;
       Whereas separatists have shot down 10 additional aircraft 
     and took credit for shooting down another aircraft at 
     approximately the same time as Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 
     crashed in eastern Ukraine;
       Whereas separatists blocked international experts from 
     accessing the crash site in the first 72 hours, preventing 
     the proper care of the victims' bodies and allowing evidence 
     from the crash to be removed and mishandled;
       Whereas weapons and fighters have continued to flow across 
     the border from the Russian Federation to eastern Ukraine, 
     and there is evidence that the Government of the Russian 
     Federation has been providing training to separatists 
     fighters, including training on air defense systems;
       Whereas this tragic incident has demonstrated that European 
     and other foreign citizens are at risk from dangerous 
     instability in Ukraine;
       Whereas, on July 21, 2014, the United Nations Security 
     Council condemned in the strongest terms the downing of 
     Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and demanded that those 
     responsible be held to account and that all states fully 
     cooperate with efforts to establish accountability;
       Whereas British Prime Minister David Cameron asserted, 
     ``Russia cannot expect to continue enjoying access to 
     European markets, European capital and European knowledge and 
     technical expertise while she fuels conflict in one of 
     Europe's neighbors.''; and
       Whereas the United States Government has continued to 
     implement sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals 
     responsible for destabilizing Ukraine and failing to end the 
     violence: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 
     17 in Eastern Ukraine that resulted in the deaths of all 298 
     passengers and crew;
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
     the victims and the people of the Netherlands, Malaysia, 
     Australia, Indonesia, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, the 
     Philippines, Canada, and New Zealand;
       (3) supports the ongoing international investigation into 
     the attack on Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, including 
     unobstructed access to the crash site;
       (4) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     immediately stop the flow of weapons and fighters across the 
     border with Ukraine, allow an Organization for Security and 
     Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission on the 
     border, and fully cooperate with the international 
     investigation currently underway; and
       (5) urges the European Union to join the United States 
     Government in holding the Government of the Russian 
     Federation accountable for its destabilizing actions in 
     Ukraine through the use of increased sanctions.

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