[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 368 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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114th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 9, 2016
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Corker, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Menendez, Mr.
Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. McCain, Mr. Carper, Mr. Leahy,
Mr. Markey, Mr. Coons, Mr. Blunt, Ms. Collins, Mr. Nelson, and Mr.
Reed) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
March 16, 2016
Reported by Mr. Corker, without amendment
April 27, 2016
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
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.
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 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.
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