e99
<PRE>[DOCID: f:hc240ih.txt]






107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 240

    Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the urgency of 
providing food and agricultural development assistance to civilian men, 
 women, and children in Afghanistan, including Afghan refugees, and to 
the civilian populations of other countries in the central Asia region, 
  including Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and 
                              Uzbekistan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 2, 2001

Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Ms. McKinney, 
  Mr. Farr of California, and Mr. Udall of New Mexico) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the urgency of 
providing food and agricultural development assistance to civilian men, 
 women, and children in Afghanistan, including Afghan refugees, and to 
the civilian populations of other countries in the central Asia region, 
  including Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and 
                              Uzbekistan.

Whereas Afghanistan is the poorest country in Asia with more than 5,000,000 
        people on the brink of survival due to a severe food shortage;
Whereas two-thirds of Afghanistan's population lives in rural areas of the 
        country;
Whereas Afghanistan has experienced three years of drought;
Whereas the level of Afghanistan's harvest for 2001 is at 51 percent of the 
        level of a harvest for a normal year;
Whereas immediate food assistance to the people of Afghanistan is necessary to 
        enable local food distribution to take place before winter begins;
Whereas immediate food assistance will enable the Afghan people to remain in 
        Afghanistan thereby preventing the likely expansion of internally 
        displaced persons or refugees destined for neighboring central Asian 
        countries;
Whereas other countries in the central Asia region, such as Pakistan, Iran, 
        Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, are also mainly 
        rural countries and have also experienced drought conditions and food 
        shortages which have been and will continue to be greatly exacerbated by 
        a growing refugee population; and
Whereas alleviating the food crisis of Afghanistan's citizens and refugees is in 
        the national security interests of the United States: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should provide immediate food and 
        agricultural development assistance to civilian men, women, and 
        children in Afghanistan, including Afghan refugees, and to the 
        civilian populations of other countries in the central Asia 
        region, such as Pakistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, 
        Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, including through the full 
        resumption of food assistance under the United Nations World 
        Food Program; and
            (2) the United States should promptly assist in providing 
        appropriate security for refugees and humanitarian aid workers 
        who are providing such food assistance in Afghanistan and such 
        other countries in the central Asia region.
                                 &lt;all&gt;

0