[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7565-S7566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORTING A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION IN YEMEN AND CONDEMNING THE MURDER OF 
                            JAMAL KHASHOGGI

  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S.J. Res. 69.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the joint resolution by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 69) supporting a diplomatic 
     solution in Yemen and condemning the murder of Jamal 
     Khashoggi.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the 
measure?
  The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Reserving the right to object, I do not intend to 
object. I just want to say that on this resolution, there is a central 
reason why I am not going to object.
  I don't agree with some of the language that speaks about the 
economic interests we have with Saudi Arabia. I think their behavior is 
more than concerning, but what the distinguished

[[Page S7566]]

chairman on the Foreign Relations Committee is trying to do here at the 
core of it is the critical element.
  I am going to be supportive because of this one singular statement 
under the resolved clause by the Senate and the House of 
Representatives that the Senate ``believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin 
Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.''
  Regardless of all of my other concerns about language, that is the 
central essence of what the chairman is going to do. I think it is 
incredibly important for the Senate to speak on that issue and, 
hopefully, speak with one voice.
  With that, I withdraw my objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. KAINE. Reserving the right to object, I will not object, but I 
stand to support this.
  Jamal Khashoggi was a Virginia resident. His children are American 
citizens and Virginia residents, and it is important for the Senate to 
speak on this matter.
  I withdraw the objection.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint 
resolution be considered read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading 
and was read the third time.
  Mr. CORKER. I know of no further debate on the resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  Hearing none, the joint resolution having been read the third time, 
the question is, Shall the joint resolution pass?
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 69) was passed as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 69

       Whereas the ongoing civil war in Yemen has exacerbated that 
     country's humanitarian crisis, in which nearly 12,000,000 
     people are suffering from ``severe hunger,'' according to the 
     United Nations' World Food Programme;
       Whereas there is no military solution to the conflict;
       Whereas the United States-Saudi Arabia relationship is 
     important to United States national security and economic 
     interests;
       Whereas the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has, 
     in recent years, engaged in concerning behavior, including 
     its conduct in the civil war in Yemen, apparent detention of 
     the Prime Minister of Lebanon, undermining the unity of the 
     Gulf Cooperation Council, expulsion of the Canadian 
     ambassador, suppression of dissent within the Kingdom, and 
     the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;
       Whereas misleading statements by the Government of the 
     Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the murder of Jamal 
     Khashoggi have undermined trust and confidence in the 
     longstanding friendship between the United States and the 
     Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and
       Whereas such erratic actions place unnecessary strain on 
     the United States-Saudi Arabia relationship, which is an 
     essential element of regional stability: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     Senate--
       (1) believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is 
     responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;
       (2) acknowledges the United States Government has 
     sanctioned 17 Saudi individuals under the Global Magnitsky 
     Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of 
     Public Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) for their roles in 
     the murder;
       (3) calls for the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
     to ensure appropriate accountability for all those 
     responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder;
       (4) calls on the Government of Saudi Arabia to release Raif 
     Badawi, Samar Badawi, and the Saudi women's rights activists 
     who were arrested as political prisoners in 2018;
       (5) encourages the Government of Saudi Arabia to redouble 
     its efforts to enact economic and social reforms;
       (6) calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
     to respect the rights of its citizens and moderate its 
     increasingly erratic foreign policy;
       (7) warns that the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi 
     Arabia's increasing purchases of military equipment from, and 
     cooperation with, the Russian Federation and the People's 
     Republic of China, challenges the strength and integrity of 
     the long-standing military-to-military relationship between 
     the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and may 
     introduce significant national security and economic risks to 
     both parties;
       (8) demands that all parties seek an immediate cease-fire 
     and negotiated political solution to the Yemen conflict and 
     increased humanitarian assistance to the victims of the 
     conflict;
       (9) condemns the Government of Iran's provision of advanced 
     lethal weapons to Houthi rebels, which have perpetuated the 
     conflict and have been used indiscriminately against civilian 
     targets in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the 
     Bab al Mandeb waterway;
       (10) condemns Houthi rebels for egregious human rights 
     abuses, including torture, use of human shields, and 
     interference with, and diversion of, humanitarian aid 
     shipments;
       (11) demands that the Saudi-led coalition and all parties 
     to the Yemen conflict seek to minimize civilian casualties at 
     all times;
       (12) supports the peace negotiations currently being 
     managed by United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and 
     encourages the United States Government to provide all 
     possible support to these diplomatic efforts;
       (13) declares that there is no statutory authorization for 
     United States involvement in hostilities in the Yemen civil 
     war; and
       (14) supports the end of air-to-air refueling of Saudi-led 
     coalition aircraft operating in Yemen.

  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I want to thank our ranking member and my 
friend, Senator Menendez, for his tremendous cooperation for many years 
but especially over this last week, and Senator Kaine for coming in and 
supporting it.
  I want to reiterate what the ranking member just said. The Senate has 
now unanimously said that Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is 
responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That is a strong 
statement. I think it speaks to the values we hold dear, as the rest of 
this resolution does.
  I am glad the Senate is speaking with one voice, unanimously, toward 
this end. I thank the leader for accommodating--making this happen.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, before the chairman on Foreign 
Relations Committee leaves, I want to thank him for his extraordinary 
leadership. This is a bit of a thicket here with different points of 
view, but as a result of what the chairman has just offered, it is a 
clear, unambiguous message about how we feel about what happened to 
this journalist.
  I want to thank him.
  Mr. CORKER. I thank the Senator.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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