[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 202 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
S. RES. 202

Concerning the ban on the use of United States passports for travel to 
                                Lebanon.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 22, 1995

   Mr. Abraham (for himself, Mr. Simon, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Kennedy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Concerning the ban on the use of United States passports for travel to 
                                Lebanon.

Whereas, on January 26, 1987, the Department of State issued a prohibition on 
        the use of United States passports for travel to Lebanon, creating a ban 
        on travel to Lebanon by United States citizens;
Whereas the ban on travel to Lebanon was instituted during a time of civil war, 
        anarchy, and general lawlessness in Lebanon, when the safety and well-
        being of United States citizens were at serious risk, American hostages 
        were being taken, and hundreds of lives were being lost due to acts of 
        terrorism;
Whereas the civil war in Lebanon ended in 1990 and the last United States 
        hostage held in Lebanon was freed on December 4, 1991;
Whereas there has been no incident of violence against any United States citizen 
        in Lebanon since December 4, 1991;
Whereas security in Lebanon has improved demonstrably since the end of the civil 
        war due to, among other efforts, the exchange of security delegations 
        between the United States and Lebanon to monitor ongoing progress on 
        security;
Whereas the United States and Lebanon have made special joint efforts to agree 
        upon and sign international conventions against terrorism which would 
        address crimes committed against United States citizens in Lebanon 
        during the civil war;
Whereas the United States maintains an economic and military assistance program 
        in Lebanon;
Whereas it is estimated that more than 45,000 United States citizens, including 
        Members of Congress, traveled safely to Lebanon in the past 4 years, 
        either in defiance of the ban or under current United States regulations 
        which permit the use of passports by dual Lebanese-United States 
        nationals and in urgent humanitarian cases;
Whereas Americans of Lebanese descent who have families residing in Lebanon and 
        who are not willing to defy the travel ban have been seriously harmed by 
        this ban and are prevented from being reunited with their loved ones in 
        Lebanon;
Whereas the United States has eased certain restrictions on the travel ban to 
        permit airline tickets to be issued directly from the United States to 
        Beirut for travel by non-United States nationals and United States 
        citizens who have obtained the appropriate waiver from the Department of 
        State;
Whereas it is in the United States' national interest to assist actively the 
        Government of Lebanon to attain the principles of democracy in the 
        region;
Whereas the Lebanese government has initiated a 10-year, $18,000,000,000 
        reconstruction effort, and in 1993-1995 awarded more than 500 contracts 
        worth more than $2,700,000,000 to business firms for development, 
        reconstruction, and consulting projects;
Whereas the ban on the use of United States passports for travel to Lebanon 
        creates a major impediment to United States firms that wish to bid for 
        contracts in Lebanon;
Whereas it is in the United States national interest for United States 
        businesses to participate in the reconstruction of Lebanon, since United 
        States participation will bring economic benefit to the United States;
Whereas it is in the national interest of the United States for there to be an 
        independent, politically and economically self-reliant Lebanon as a 
        stabilizing state in the region;
Whereas in determining whether to restrict the use of United States passports in 
        any country, the Secretary of State should apply consistent criteria; 
        and
Whereas travel advisories, rather than travel bans, are in effect for countries 
        such as Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti, Colombia, and Peru, in which United 
        States citizens have historically experienced as serious risk to their 
        safety as they do in traveling to Lebanon: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) in deciding whether to renew the ban on the use of 
        United States passports for travel to Lebanon, the Secretary of 
        State should--
                    (A) expand the present humanitarian waiver 
                provisions to permit American citizens of Lebanese 
                descent to travel to Lebanon for family reunification 
                purposes;
                    (B) create a new waiver category to permit 
                exceptions for United States business personnel who 
                wish to travel to Lebanon for business purposes; and
                    (C) change the Lebanon travel ban to a travel 
                advisory because American citizens have been safely 
                traveling there since 1991, and it appears as if the 
                risk posed to the safety of American citizens is no 
                greater in Lebanon than it is in other countries that 
                currently maintain travel advisories; and
            (2) the Secretary of State should identify those conditions 
        within Lebanon that are of risk to United States citizens and 
        provide suggestions for Lebanon to ameliorate those risks.
    Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this 
resolution to the Secretary of State.
                                 <all>