[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 427 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 427
To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace
Agreements with Cambodia and to call upon all signatories to those
Agreements to fulfill their commitments to secure a peaceful,
prosperous, democratic, and sovereign Cambodia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 26, 2021
Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Romney, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Risch, Mr.
Cardin, and Mr. Coons) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
March 30, 2022
Reported by Mr. Menendez, with an amendment
May 11, 2022
Considered, amended, and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace
Agreements with Cambodia and to call upon all signatories to those
Agreements to fulfill their commitments to secure a peaceful,
prosperous, democratic, and sovereign Cambodia.
Whereas the agreements signed at the Paris Conference on Cambodia on October 23,
1991 (commonly referred to as the ``Paris Peace Agreements''), led to
the end of a brutal 12-year civil war in Cambodia and paved the way to
national reconciliation through the expulsion of foreign forces and the
guarantee of the right to self-determination of the Cambodian people
through free and fair elections;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements represented a landmark achievement for the
Cambodian people, Cambodia, the international community, and the United
States and are the foundation for the peace enjoyed by Cambodia today;
Whereas the United States was a party to the negotiation and conclusion of the
Paris Peace Agreements, which also included leadership and participation
of a broad international coalition composed of Australia, Brunei,
Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
the United Kingdom, Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, and Cambodia;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements authorized the creation of the United Nations
Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), which was an unprecedented
international effort to help administer Cambodia and guide the country
as it emerged from years of civil war;
Whereas the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia successfully
prevented the resurgence of the genocidal Khmer Rouge, created the
atmosphere for national reconciliation, was instrumental to the return
of hundreds of thousands of Cambodian refugees to their homes, and laid
the groundwork for a new Constitution and free and fair elections that
featured broad participation;
Whereas, since the United Nations Security Council established the United
Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia through United Nations
Security Council Resolution 745 in 1992, the United States and the
international community have continued to support the peace, security,
and prosperity of Cambodia, as demonstrated through the delivery by the
United States of more than $1,500,000,000 in development assistance and
more than $3,000,000,000 in total assistance to Cambodia, according to
the Department of State;
Whereas the implementation of the Paris Peace Agreements established
institutions critical to peace, development, and freedom in Cambodia,
including the beginnings of a vibrant civil society and independent
media;
Whereas the Paris Peace Agreements set forth a democratic process for the
election of a constituent assembly that adopted the Constitution of the
Kingdom of Cambodia, which obligates the Kingdom to ``respect human
rights as stipulated in the United Nations Charter, the Universal
Declaration of Human rights, the covenants and conventions related to
human rights, women's and children's rights'';
Whereas the actions of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's
Party since 1993 to consolidate power, which have infringed on the
fundamental rights and freedoms of the Cambodian people and culminated
in the banning of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2017,
effectively turning Cambodia into a one-party state, violate the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia and challenge the full
implementation of the Paris Peace Agreements;
Whereas the reported use of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand
by the People's Republic of China would be inconsistent with Cambodia's
status of neutrality under the Paris Peace Agreements, which the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia later defined, in part, as ``not
permit(ting) any foreign military base on its territory''; and
Whereas the politically motivated arrests of more than 150 people associated
with the Cambodia National Rescue Party since June 2019 and irregular
judicial prosecutions of detainees further undermine the intent of the
Paris Peace Agreements to allow full political participation in free and
fair elections: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) remains committed to the Cambodian people and their
aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, democratic, and
sovereign country, as envisioned in the agreements signed at
the Paris Conference on Cambodia on October 23, 1991 (commonly
referred to as the ``Paris Peace Agreements''), with the
support of the international community;
(2) calls upon all signatories of the Paris Peace
Agreements, including Cambodian stakeholders, to reaffirm their
commitments under the Agreements, the fulfillment of which will
advance the peace, prosperity, rights, and freedoms enjoyed by
the Cambodian people 30 years after the signing of the
Agreements; and
(3) emphasizes the need for the Government of Cambodia--
(A) to commit to free and fair multiparty elections
in the upcoming communal elections in 2022 and national
elections in 2023 as an expression of its commitment to
the self-determination of the Cambodian people;
(B) to uphold its commitments to protecting human
rights, democratic institutions, and free and fair
elections;
(C) to dismiss all politically motivated charges,
prosecutions, and sentencings of the opposition,
journalists, and civil society activists;
(D) to refrain from actions that violate its status
of neutrality; and
(E) to use its role as 2022 Chair of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to
strengthen the institution and ASEAN's independence and
uphold the values of the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty
of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, done at
Denpasar February 24, 1976.
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