117th CONGRESS 2d Session |
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.
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
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,
(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.