Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 100 Part 1.djvu/792

 100 STAT. 756

PUBLIC LAW 99-354—JULY 2, 1986

Public Law 99-354 99th Congress

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Joint Resolution pg y p '—^^-,

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Welcoming the Afghan Alliance.

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Whereas more than one hundred and twenty thousand Soviet troops currently remain in Afghanistan as a result of their illegal invasion in December of 1979; Whereas these forces have decimated the nation of Afghanistan directly causing: the largest refugee population in the world, with three million Afghans living in exile in Pakistan; over one million war-related casualties; the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of Afghans; and deprivation and suffering for the majority of Afghanistan's population; Whereas the most recent United Nations Human Rights Commission report concludes that the continuation of a military solution in Afghanistan will "lead inevitably to a situation approaching genocide"; Whereas the international community has repeatedly condemned the continued Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and has in seven resolutions approved by the United Nations General Assembly called for "the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan"; Whereas the Afghan Mujahideen have valiantly resisted the Soviet forces for more than six years, and have inspired freedom loving people throughout the world with their courage and determination; Whereas on May 16, 1985, the Afghan resistance took an historic step by forming the Islamic Unity of Afghan Mujahideen, representing a unified coalition of the major Afghan organizations dedicated to ending the Soviet occupation; Whereas during the week of June 15, 1986, the current spokesman of this alliance will travel to the United States on behalf of the Afghan people to meet with the President and senior American officials: Now, therefore, be it

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