[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 50 Referred in House (RFH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 50


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 20, 1993

             Referrred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
             Concerning the Arab League boycott of Israel.

Whereas the signing on September 13, 1993, of the Declaration of Principles 
        between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Government of 
        Israel signals a new era of cooperation in the Middle East;
Whereas a true peace in the Middle East can only be established and remain in 
        effect if there is economic stability and cooperation in the region;
Whereas adherence to the Arab League boycott of Israel is a source of economic 
        instability in the Middle East;
Whereas the members of the Arab League instituted a primary boycott against 
        Israel in 1948;
Whereas in the early 1950's the Arab states instituted a secondary and tertiary 
        boycott against United States and other firms because of their 
        commercial ties to Israel;
Whereas the boycott attempts to use economic blackmail to force United States 
        firms to comply with boycott regulation;
Whereas the boycott was cited by the United States Trade Representative in the 
        1992 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers as an 
        ``additional legal restraint to United States trade in the region'';
Whereas hundreds of United States firms have been blacklisted and barred from 
        doing business with members of the Arab League under the secondary and 
        tertiary boycott;
Whereas the total damage caused by the boycott is unknown because the number of 
        United States firms that conduct business with Israel have not attempted 
        commercial transactions with members of the Arab League due to the 
        boycott is uncertain; and
Whereas the United States has a policy of prohibiting United States firms from 
        providing Arab states with the requested information about compliance to 
        boycott regulation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Anti-Boycott Resolution of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. EXPRESSION OF CONGRESSIONAL VIEWS.

    The Congress--
            (1) believes the continuation of the Arab League boycott of 
        Israel will be a severe impediment to the economic prosperity 
        of all participating nations and to the establishment of a 
        lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East;
            (2) believes the secondary and tertiary boycott cause 
        substantial economic losses to United States firms;
            (3) welcomes the actions by those members of the Arab 
        League that have begun dismantling the secondary and tertiary 
        boycott, and urges them to continue their efforts until a 
        complete dissolution of the primary, secondary, and tertiary 
        boycott is achieved;
            (4) hopes that the indefinite postponement of the October 
        24, 1993, meeting of the Central Boycott Committee signals an 
        end to the placement of more United States firms on the boycott 
        list and a willingness to dismantle the boycott in its 
        entirety;
            (5) urges those states that have begun to or are 
        considering dismantling all forms of the boycott to proceed 
        promptly with such dismantlement;
            (6) urges those states that are still enforcing the boycott 
        to dismantle the boycott in all its forms and to issue the 
        necessary laws, rules, and regulations to ensure that United 
        States firms have free and open access to Arab markets 
        regardless of their business relationships with Israel;
            (7) urges those states, in addition, to cease enforcing and 
        requiring participation in the boycott in its primary, 
        secondary, and tertiary forms;
            (8) urges the United States Government to continue to raise 
        the boycott as an unfair trade practice in every appropriate 
        international trade forum; and
            (9) expresses the sense of the Congress that the end of the 
        Arab League boycott of Israel is of great urgency to the United 
        States Government and will continue to be a priority issue in 
        all bilateral relations with participating states until its 
        complete dissolution.

            Passed the Senate November 20 (legislative day, November 
      2), 1993.

            Attest:

                                             WALTER J. STEWART,

                                                             Secretary.