[Congressional Bills 103th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Con. Res. 76 Introduced in House (IH)] 103d CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 76 Regarding broadcasting by Radio Free Europe to the former Yugoslavia. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 29, 1993 Mr. Levy (for himself, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Solomon, Ms. Molinari, and Mr. King) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Regarding broadcasting by Radio Free Europe to the former Yugoslavia. Whereas the conflict among the states of the former Yugoslavia is being exacerbated by propaganda and distorted news coverage disseminated by state-controlled media in the region; Whereas due to such government-controlled propaganda and control of the local media the peoples of the republics of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia in particular, do not have access to objective, unbiased reporting of the situation either in the Balkans or in the outside world; Whereas access to objective, unbiased news coverage by the peoples of the former Yugoslavia will be an important element in the eventual peaceful settlement of disputes and development of cooperation among the successor states of the former Yugoslavia; Whereas the content and techniques of broadcasting from respected and established institutions outside of the region can contribute to a moderation of the conflicts among the states of the former Yugoslavia by providing a vitally needed, balanced alternative to propaganda disseminated by certain governments in the region, particularly Serbia, and by stressing the need for reconciliation, democratization, and cooperation among the former Yugoslav states; Whereas events elsewhere in Eastern and Central Europe have demonstrated that dissemination of truthful, credible information and analysis can play a significant role in peaceful, democratic transformation; and Whereas the broadcast activity of Radio Free Europe has played an important role in the transformation of the nations of Central Europe from communism toward democracy and the rule of the law: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress urges the Board for International Broadcasting-- (1) to authorize RFE/RL, Incorporated to commence immediate broadcast activity of Radio Free Europe to the successor states of Yugoslavia; (2) to ensure that such broadcast activity provides to the people of the region objective balanced reporting of developments in the former Yugoslav states and international reaction to the situation in the former Yugoslavia so as to contribute to a peaceful negotiated resolution of political and ethnic conflict among and within such states; and (3) to ensure that such new broadcasting service is adequately staffed with professional journalists constituting a fair representation of the major ethnic groups of the region who are trained and dedicated to nonpartisan and objective analysis of the problems confronting the former Yugoslav states. <all>