[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 197 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7820-S7821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 348--REAFFIRMING THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN 
  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF 
ETHIOPIA AND ENCOURAGING INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IN THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC 
                          REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA

  Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Enzi) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 348

       Whereas the first pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy 
     toward Sub-Saharan Africa is to strengthen democratic 
     institutions;
       Whereas the third pillar of the 2012 United States Strategy 
     toward Sub-Saharan Africa is to advance peace and security;
       Whereas Ethiopia is one of the top troop contributing 
     countries to the United Nations' peacekeeping missions, 
     providing over 8,000 soldiers to United Nations missions 
     around the world;
       Whereas Ethiopia has contributed over 4,000 troops to the 
     African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM);
       Whereas the Government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with 
     the United States Government, trained the National Army for 
     Somalia, supported the fight against Al-Shabaab militants, 
     and deployed its troops in support of regional protection 
     force in South Sudan;
       Whereas the close cooperation and strategic partnership 
     between the United States of America and the Federal 
     Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has been built on over a 
     century of close cooperation and support;
       Whereas the Government of Ethiopia continues to play a 
     crucial role in Africa and specifically in East Africa, and 
     the partnership in counterterrorism activities with the 
     United States is vital for regional peace and stability;
       Whereas the United States has welcomed Ethiopia's 
     participation in the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS;
       Whereas the United States held a Strategic Dialogue with 
     Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on July 27, 2015, during the visit by 
     President Barack Obama to strengthen the bilateral 
     relationship;
       Whereas respect for democracy, inclusive governance, human 
     rights, and civil liberties have been core pillars of United 
     States foreign policy;
       Whereas the Government of Ethiopia expressed its commitment 
     to the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights by taking 
     necessary measures to implement the National Human Rights 
     Action Plan adopted by the House of Peoples Representative of 
     the FDRE;
       Whereas the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 
     conducted an independent and thorough investigation into the 
     deaths and injuries caused during the protests in Ethiopia in 
     2016 and submitted its report with recommendations to the 
     House of Peoples Representative of the FDRE; and
       Whereas, on August 9, 2017, the Government of Ethiopia 
     lifted a State of Emergency that had been imposed on October 
     9, 2016, to bring about peace and stability following violent 
     protests that resulted in the destruction of government and 
     personal property and the deaths of civilian and security 
     officials: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States 
     Government to support the Government of Ethiopia--
       (A) to provide training and resources to counter terrorism 
     and violent extremism and address security concerns in the 
     Horn of Africa;
       (B) to bolster trade and investment in the private sector 
     between the United States and Ethiopia;
       (C) to continue the support to strengthen higher education 
     and promote health through the exiting mechanisms;
       (D) to continue the humanitarian assistance with the United 
     States Agency for International Development to the people 
     affected by the drought; and
       (E) calls on the Secretary of State to engage with the 
     Government of Ethiopia in strengthening the bilateral Working 
     Group on Democracy, Governance and Human Rights, and provide 
     support in the implementation of the National Human Rights 
     Action Plan;
       (2) condemns the violence that resulted in the death of 
     over 500 Ethiopians;
       (3) calls on the Government of Ethiopia--
       (A) to hold accountable all personnel responsible for the 
     death and destruction that took place as a result of violent 
     protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions and publicly 
     release information in a written report;
       (B) to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly 
     and guarantee freedom of the press and mass media in keeping 
     with Articles 30 and 29 of the Ethiopian constitution; and
       (C) to engage in open and transparent consultations 
     relative to its development strategy, especially those 
     strategies that could result in people's displacement from 
     land, offering those displaced from their land the

[[Page S7821]]

     right to seek remedy or redress in courts and providing a 
     transparent means to access justice for those displaced;
       (4) calls on the Administrator of the United States Agency 
     for International Development to continue to lead efforts to 
     work with the Government of Ethiopia to improved democracy 
     and governance; and
       (5) calls on the United States Agency for International 
     Development to assist the Government and people of Ethiopia 
     in capacity building in all areas.

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