Legislation on Foreign Relations Through ...

shipments originate, of appropriate and cooperative steps to make sealed-truck, no-inspection transit administratively acceptable to the Government of Mexico and other transited countries. Similar bilateral or multilateral negotiations by the Secretary of State with nations respecting the same international customs conventions is also encouraged.

SEC. 718. CONDEMNING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND THE SUBVERSION OF OTHER GOVERNMENTS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA.

(a) CONDEMNATION OF CERTAIN ACTION BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA.-The Congress condemns

(1) the consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights by the Cuban Government, including

(A) cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment and punishment of prisoners;

(B) the suppression of free speech, press, and assembly; and

(2) the provision by the Cuban government of material aid and personnel support for the purposes of subversion.

(b) CALL UPON THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA.-The Congress calls upon the Government of Cuba to restore civil liberties and cease in the violation of human rights of the Cuban people and cease the subversion of other governments through material and personnel support.

SEC. 719. REPORTS ON FOREIGN DEBT IN LATIN AMERICA.

(a) FINDINGS.-The Congress finds that

(1) the foreign debt of Latin American countries has soared from $27,000,000,000 in 1970 to over $350,000,000,000 in 1983;

(2) the foreign debt of Latin American countries is a serious obstacle to their economic progress, threatens their stability, and endangers the democratic processes in those nations;

(3) the economic and political futures of many of the Latin American countries hang in the balance and depend upon a successful resolution of the foreign debt crisis; and

(4) the confidence of the American people in the United States system of banking is also involved in a successful resolution of the foreign debt crisis.

(b) REPORT.-Not later than January 1, 1986, the Secretary of State shall prepare and transmit to the Congress a report on

(1) the magnitude of the foreign debt crisis in the Western Hemisphere;

(2) the impact of the foreign debt crisis on the economies of the countries of Latin America;

(3) the degree to which the national security interests of the United States are implicated in this crisis;

(4) the steps being taken and the policy being pursued by the United States aimed at dealing with this crisis;

(5) the degree to which the foreign debt crisis affects the system of banking in the United States; and

(6) the steps being taken and the policy being pursued by the United States Government aimed at dealing with this crisis.

SEC. 720. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE FOR URUGUAY.

Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (relating to the economic support fund), $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1986 and $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1987 shall be available only for Uruguay.

SEC. 721. CANADIAN EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES.

(a) CATTLE AND HOGS.—(1) The Congress finds that—

(A) livestock prices have been in decline for some time due to excessive supply partially caused by dramatic increases in importation of live cattle and hogs from Canada, which has increased by 1,000 percent in the last decade in the case of hogs alone;

(B) American livestock producers are suffering from the same general economic crisis affecting all of agriculture, and many will face liquidation or foreclosure in the near future; and

(C) the disparity between the United States and the Canadian dollar amounts to 32 to 34 percent and results in even further increases in Canadian hogs and cattle being imported into the United States.

(2) Therefore, it is the sense of the Congress that the President should direct appropriate officials of the executive branch, including the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce, to aggressively pursue discussions with the Canadian Government directed toward immediate reduction in the Canadian export of cattle and hogs to the United States.

(b) SOFTWOOD TIMBER.-(1) The Congress finds that

(A) softwood timber prices have been in decline for some time due to excessive supply partially caused by dramatic increases in importation of processed softwood timber from Canada, which has increased from 18 percent of the United States market in the last two years to 35 to 40 percent today;

(B) American timber producers are suffering from this economic crisis, and the difficulty in acquiring timber from the National Forest System; and

(C) the disparity between the United States and the Canadian dollar amounts to 32 to 34 percent and results in even further increases in processed softwood timber being imported into the United States.

SEC. 722. NICARAGUA.

(a) SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT.-The Congress

(1) strongly supports national reconciliation in Nicaragua and the creation of a framework for negotiating a peaceful settlement to the Nicaraguan conflict; and

(2) finds that the United States should, in assisting efforts to reach comprehensive and verifiable final agreements based on the Contadora Document of Objectives, encourage the Government of Nicaragua to pursue a dialogue with the armed opposition forces and their political representatives for the purposes of achieving an equitable political settlement of the conflict, including free and fair elections.

(b) UNITED STATES CONCERNS ABOUT NICARAGUAN FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICIES.-The Congress finds and declares the following:

(1) Despite positive actions by the Congress signaling support for negotiated solutions to conflicts in Central America, there are disturbing trends in Nicaragua's foreign and domestic policies, including

(A) President Daniel Ortega's April 1985 trip to the Soviet Union at a time when the Congress signaled its strong disapproval of increasing Nicaraguan-Soviet ties;

(B) the Sandinista government's close military ties with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and its Warsaw Pact allies; the disappointing and insufficient reduction of the number of Cuban advisors in Nicaragua by only 100 out of an approximately 2,500; and the continuing military buildup that Nicaragua's neighbors consider threatening;

(C) the Sandinista government's curtailment of individual liberties, political expression, freedom of worship, and the independence of the media;

(D) the subordination of military, judicial, and internal security functions to the ruling political party; and

(E) the Sandinista government's efforts to export its influence and ideology.

(2) If Nicaragua does not address the concerns described in paragraph (1), the United States has several options to address this challenge to peace and stability in the region, including political, diplomatic, and trade sanctions. In addition, the United States

(A) should through appropriate regional organizations, such as the Organization of American States, seek to maintain multilateral pressure on Nicaragua to address these concerns; and

(B) should, if called upon to do so, give serious consideration to supporting any sanctions adopted by such an organization.

(3) In assessing whether or not progress is being made in addressing these concerns, the Congress will expect prompt and significant initiatives by the Government of Nicaragua such

(A) the removal of foreign military advisors from Nicaragua;

(B) the end to Sandinista support for insurgencies in other countries in the region, including the cessation of military supplies to the rebel forces fighting the democratically elected government in El Salvador;

(C) restoration of individual liberties, political expression, freedom of worship, and the independence of the media; and

(D) progress toward international reconciliation and a pluralistic democratic system, including steps to liberalize institutions in order to allow the internal opposition in Nicaragua to become a viable partner in the Nicaraguan political process.

(A) the people of Nicaragua are suffering the horrors of a fierce armed conflict that is causing grave hardships and loss of life, has thrown the country into a serious political, social, and economic upheaval, and is of serious concern to the nations of the region and to the United States;

(B) this conflict is fundamentally a continuation of efforts of the Nicaraguan people to attain a representative government at peace with its neighbors, efforts which began under the Somoza regime; and

(C) the United States recognized these noble aspirations of the Nicaraguan people in the June 23, 1979, resolution of the Seventeenth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of American States, which reads as follows:

"WHEREAS:

"The people of Nicaragua are suffering the horrors of a fierce armed conflict that is causing grave hardships and loss of life, and has thrown the country into a serious political, social and economic upheaval;

"The inhumane conduct of the dictatorial regime governing the country, as evidenced by the report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, is the fundamental cause of the dramatic situation faced by the Nicaraguan people; and

"The spirit of solidarity that guides Hemisphere relations places an unavoidable obligation on the American countries to exert every effort within their power, to put an end to the bloodshed and to avoid the prolongation of this conflict which is disrupting the peace of the Hemisphere;

"THE SEVENTEENTH MEETING OF CONSULTATION OF MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, "DECLARES:

"That the solution of the serious problem is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the people of Nicaragua.

"That in the view of the Seventeenth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs this solution should be arrived at on the basis of the following:

"1. Immediate and definitive replacement of the Somoza regime.

"2. Installation in Nicaraguan territory of a democratic government, the composition of which should include the

principal representative groups which oppose the Somoza regime and which reflects the free will of the people of Nicaragua.

"3. Guarantee of the respect for human rights of all Nicaraguans without exception.

"4. The holding of free elections as soon as possible, that will lead to the establishment of a truly democratic government that guarantees peace, freedom, and justice.

"RESOLVES:

"1. To urge the member states to take steps that are within their reach to facilitate an enduring and peaceful solution of the Nicaraguan problem on the bases set forth above, scrupulously respecting the principle of nonintervention and abstaining from any action that might be in conflict with the above bases or be incompatible with a peaceful and enduring solution to the problem.

"2. To commit their efforts to promote humanitarian assistance to the people of Nicaragua and to contribute to the social and economic recovery of the country.

"3. To keep the Seventeenth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs open while the present situation continues.".

(2) THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA.—The Congress further finds that

(A) the Government of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua formally accepted the June 23, 1979, resolution as a basis for resolving the Nicaraguan conflict in its "Plan to Achieve Peace" which was submitted to the Organization of American States on July 12, 1979;

(B) the June 23 1979, resolution and its acceptance by the Government of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua was the formal basis for the removal of the Somoza regime and the installation of the Government of National Reconstruction;

(C) the Government of National Reconstruction, now known as the Government of Nicaragua and controlled by the Frente Sandinista (the FSLN), has flagrantly violated the provisions of the June 23, 1979, resolution, the rights of the Nicaraguan people, and the security of the nations in the region, in that it—

(i) no longer includes the democratic members of the Government of National Reconstruction in the political process;

(ii) is not a government freely elected under conditions of freedom of the press, assembly, and organization, and is not recognized as freely elected by its neighbors, Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador;

(iii) has taken significant steps towards establishing a totalitarian Communist dictatorship, including the formation of FSLN neighborhood watch committees and the enactment of laws that violate human rights and grant undue executive power;

(iv) has committed atrocities against its citizens as documented in reports by the Inter-American Commis

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