[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 111 (Monday, July 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S4946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 524--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE 
                           CONFLICT IN YEMEN

  Mr. MURPHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 524

       Whereas the enduring security partnership between the 
     United States Government and the Government of Saudi Arabia 
     has historically served to preserve the stability of the 
     Middle East;
       Whereas the United States Armed Forces provide support to 
     the armed forces of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners 
     to support their military operations in Yemen, including over 
     700 air-to-air refueling sorties, and to assist with 
     effectiveness and reduction of collateral damage;
       Whereas the United States Government has consistently urged 
     all sides of the conflict in Yemen to take all feasible 
     precautions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and to 
     comply with their obligations under international 
     humanitarian law, which includes minimizing harm to civilians 
     and differentiating between civilian infrastructure and 
     military objectives; and
       Whereas designated foreign terrorist organizations, 
     including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic 
     State in Iraq and the Levant, which pose a grave threat to 
     the national security of the United States, have 
     significantly expanded the territory under their control in 
     Yemen since the Government of Saudi Arabia began military 
     operations in Yemen on March 26, 2015: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) all sides to the current conflict in Yemen should--
       (A) abide by international obligations to protect 
     civilians;
       (B) facilitate the delivery of humanitarian relief 
     throughout the country; and
       (C) respect negotiated cease-fires and work toward a 
     lasting political settlement;
       (2) United States-supported Saudi military operations in 
     Yemen should--
       (A) take all feasible precautions to reduce the risk of 
     harm to civilians and civilian objects, in compliance with 
     international humanitarian law; and
       (B) increase prioritization of targeting of designated 
     foreign terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda in the 
     Arabian Peninsula and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq 
     and the Levant;
       (3) the Houthi-Saleh forces engaged in the conflict in 
     Yemen should--
       (A) cease indiscriminate shelling of areas inhabited by 
     civilians; and
       (B) allow free access by humanitarian relief organizations 
     seeking to deliver aid to civilian populations under siege; 
     and
       (4) a reconstruction and stabilization plan should be 
     developed alongside a negotiated political framework, in 
     consultation with local stakeholders and with robust 
     financing from the international community, including Gulf 
     Cooperation Council countries that have previously made 
     pledges to fund Yemen's post-conflict reconstruction.

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