[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S741-S742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 368--SUPPORTING EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA 
 TO PURSUE PEACE AND THE END OF THE COUNTRY'S ENDURING INTERNAL ARMED 
CONFLICT AND RECOGNIZING UNITED STATES SUPPORT FOR COLOMBIA AT THE 15TH 
                      ANNIVERSARY OF PLAN COLOMBIA

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Corker, and Mr. Kaine) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 368

       Whereas, on October 1, 2000, President William Clinton, 
     having worked with the support of Republican majorities in 
     the United States Senate and the United States House of 
     Representatives, commenced implementation of the first United 
     States foreign assistance package in support of Plan 
     Colombia;
       Whereas Plan Colombia has received steadfast commitments 
     from the administrations of Presidents William Clinton, 
     George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and continuously has been 
     strengthened by broad bipartisan support in the United States 
     Congress;
       Whereas the United States Congress, through Plan Colombia, 
     has appropriated more than $9,000,000,000 in foreign 
     assistance to support initiatives of the Government of 
     Colombia to combat the illicit narcotics trade and terrorism, 
     confront irregular armed actors, advance democratic 
     governance, promote economic growth, defend human rights, and 
     pursue a strategy towards sustainable peace;
       Whereas the Government of Colombia, throughout the 
     administrations of Presidents Andres Pastrana, Alvaro Uribe, 
     and Juan Manuel Santos, has made investments in Plan Colombia 
     and carried out transformational efforts to consolidate 
     domestic security, socioeconomic development, and the rule of 
     law that far exceed those contributions made by the United 
     States;
       Whereas the United States and Colombia have forged a 
     resolute bond through the implementation of Plan Colombia, 
     which has been bolstered by the support of hundreds of 
     thousands of Colombian-Americans and their contribution to 
     American life;
       Whereas, over the past 15 years, levels of crime and 
     violence have subsided sharply in Colombia, with annual per 
     capita homicide rates declining from 62 per 100,000 people in 
     1999 to 27 per 100,000 people in 2014, and the annual number 
     of kidnappings decreasing from more than 3,000 in 1999 to 
     less than 300 in 2014;
       Whereas the alignment of improved security and sound 
     economic policies has translated into steady growth in 
     Colombia's Gross Domestic Product, which increased from 
     $86,000,000,000 in 1999 to more than $377,000,000,000 in 
     2014, and led to greater Foreign Direct Investment, which 
     grew from $1,500,000,000 in 1999 to one of the highest in 
     Latin America at $16,000,000,000 in 2014;
       Whereas the Government of Colombia has made impressive 
     strides in reducing poverty during the last 15 years, with 
     the poverty rate decreasing from 64 percent in 1999 to 28.5 
     percent in 2014, according to the World Bank;
       Whereas, since 1999, the Government of Colombia has 
     expanded the presence of the state across all 32 territorial 
     departments, has contributed to the professionalism of the 
     Colombian judiciary, and has improved the capacity of the 
     Colombian Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Police;
       Whereas, in November 2012, the Government of Colombia 
     entered into talks to negotiate an end to the country's 
     enduring conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
     Colombia (FARC), a guerilla movement that has ties to the 
     illicit narcotics trade, has kidnapped Colombian and United 
     States civilians, and has been designated by the United 
     States Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist 
     Organization;
       Whereas a half-century of conflict has taken a devastating 
     toll on Colombia's civilian population, has claimed the lives 
     of more than 220,000 people, and has left more than

[[Page S742]]

     6,500,000 people internally displaced, according to the 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
       Whereas the internal armed conflict has victimized all 
     Colombians, including women, children, and Afro-descendant 
     and indigenous peoples, and has led to the repeated targeting 
     of leading representatives of civil society, including trade 
     unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, and other 
     community activists;
       Whereas efforts to achieve lasting peace in Colombia must 
     address the hardships faced by victims of the armed conflict, 
     as exemplified by the Government of Colombia's Law on Victims 
     and Restitution of Land of 2011;
       Whereas the prospects for national reconciliation and 
     sustainable peace in Colombia rely on the effective delivery 
     of justice for victims of the conflict and the ability to 
     hold accountable and appropriately punish perpetrators of 
     serious violations of human rights and international 
     humanitarian law; and
       Whereas a potential accord between the Government of 
     Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia 
     (FARC) represents an opportunity to end the enduring conflict 
     in Colombia and bring peace to the Americas: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the unwavering support of the Government and 
     people of the United States for the people of Colombia in 
     their pursuit of peace and their aspiration to live in a 
     country free of violent conflict;
       (2) commends efforts to bring an end to Colombia's enduring 
     internal armed conflict;
       (3) maintains its commitment to the victims of Colombia's 
     armed conflict and urges the negotiating parties to forge an 
     agreement that holds accountable perpetrators of serious 
     violations of human rights and international humanitarian law 
     and ensures that they are appropriately punished;
       (4) encourages the Government of Colombia to promote 
     informed public debate about the details of a potential peace 
     accord in advance of voter ratification;
       (5) encourages the Secretary of State to develop a 
     comprehensive, multiyear strategy to ensure the successful 
     implementation and sustainability of a potential peace accord 
     in Colombia, if such an accord is endorsed by the Colombian 
     people, and further strengthen the close bilateral 
     partnership shared by the Governments of the United States 
     and Colombia; and
       (6) reaffirms its commitment to continued partnership 
     between the United States and Colombia on issues of mutual 
     security, including counternarcotics cooperation, combating 
     transnational organized crime, and ensuring justice for those 
     who have caused indelible harm to our populations.

                          ____________________