[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 329 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 329

 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the activities of Islamist 
           terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 22, 2005

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself and Mr. Lantos) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the activities of Islamist 
           terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.

Whereas the brutal attacks of September 11, 2001, demonstrated that terrorists 
        can strike anywhere in the world;
Whereas terrorist activity that goes unaddressed is an invitation for terrorist 
        organizations to carry out attacks against the United States, our allies 
        and interests;
Whereas the Department of State has concluded in its most recent Country Reports 
        on Terrorism, which was released in April 2005, that although the threat 
        of international terrorism in the Western Hemisphere remains relatively 
        low as compared to other world regions, international terrorists may 
        seek safe-haven, financing, recruiting, illegal travel documentation, or 
        access to the United States from Latin American and Caribbean countries 
        and thus pose serious threats;
Whereas in recent years, the activities of Islamist terrorist organizations in 
        the Western Hemisphere has focused on financing their criminal and 
        terrorist activities outside of the region rather than carrying out or 
        directly supporting terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas, as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and the 1994 
        bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Argentina clearly showed, 
        international terrorist organizations, such as Hezbollah, are ready, 
        willing, and able to carry out attacks in the Western Hemisphere, 
        including in the United States;
Whereas since at least the AMIA bombing in 1994, Hezbollah has maintained 
        networks in the tri-border area of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina--
        primarily focusing on fundraising and recruitment;
Whereas in May 2003, a relative of Assad Ahmad Barakat, the reputed head of 
        Hezbollah in the tri-border area, was arrested at the airport in 
        Asuncion, Paraguay, in what Paraguayan police believe was a scheme to 
        sell drugs in Syria, with proceeds reaching Hezbollah forces in Lebanon;
Whereas Barakat, a Lebanese-born Paraguayan, is himself in custody in Brazil 
        awaiting extradition to Paraguay after raids on his businesses in 
        Paraguay's tri-border area found evidence that he transferred tens of 
        millions of United States dollars to Hezbollah in Lebanon;
Whereas there have been media reports of Hezbollah sympathizers and financiers 
        also conducting black market activities in Iquique, Chile; Maicao, 
        Colombia; Margarita Island, Venezuela; and Colon, Panama;
Whereas the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has also been known to raise funds 
        in the tri-border area;
Whereas in a 2002 court case, one of the two Lebanese men who were convicted of 
        financing Hezbollah with $2,000,000 in illegal cigarette sales in the 
        United States entered the United States illegally from Venezuela;
Whereas earlier this past year, a Lebanese individual from Detroit who was 
        charged with supporting Hezbollah financially, and described by the 
        United States Attorney in the case as a ``fighter, recruiter, and 
        fundraiser,'' reportedly entered the United States illegally from 
        Mexico;
Whereas a number of media reports have raised concerns that al-Qaeda operatives 
        may be seeking to establish a presence in the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas officials in both the United States and El Salvador confirmed earlier 
        this year that ``Mara Salvatrucha,'' a violent gang with roots in the 
        Salvadoran civil war and branches in several United States States, had 
        met with al-Qaeda;
Whereas in 2004, the Honduran Security Minister is reported to have claimed that 
        Adnan Shukrijumah, a Saudi-born terrorist who the Honduran Security 
        Minister has linked to al-Qaeda, was spotted in an Internet cafe in 
        Tegucigalpa, Honduras;
Whereas several members of the Egyptian Islamic Group have been arrested in 
        Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia since 1998;
Whereas Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has reportedly instructed his followers to travel 
        to Brazil with the eventual goal of entering the United States through 
        Mexico to carry out terrorist attacks;
Whereas Ashref Ahmed Abdallah, an Egyptian national who is one of the most 
        significant human smuggling targets, was arrested by United States 
        authorities at Miami International Airport in July 2004 for using 
        Central America and Brazil as a staging ground for smuggling illegal 
        aliens from countries of the Middle East, including special interest 
        countries that are linked to international terrorism, into the United 
        States;
Whereas recent press reports state that United States intelligence has tracked 
        several al-Qaeda operatives through Panama as either a base of 
        operations or a transit point for operations;
Whereas the activities of sympathizers and financiers of Islamist terrorist 
        organizations in the Western Hemisphere represent a potential threat to 
        the United States, our allies and interests;
Whereas section 7102 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 
        2004 (Public Law 108-458; 22 U.S.C. 2656f note) amends United States law 
        to identify and address emerging and current terrorist sanctuaries and 
        secure international cooperation to combat this threat;
Whereas many countries of the Western Hemisphere have cooperated with the United 
        States and regional organizations to counter the threat of regional and 
        international terrorism, including by participating in joint 
        counterterrorism training and simulations, Counterterrorism Action Group 
        (CTAG) meetings which are hosted by United States embassies, and the 
        Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Organization 
        of American States (OAS); and
Whereas, despite these efforts, many factors within the Western Hemisphere 
        contribute to creating an environment which is conducive for future 
        activities by international terrorist organizations: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the potential threat that sympathizers and 
        financiers of Islamist terrorist organizations that operate in 
        the Western Hemisphere pose to the United States, our allies 
        and interests;
            (2) acknowledges the commitment and cooperation of some 
        governments of countries of the Western Hemisphere to deny the 
        use of their territory to Islamist terrorist organizations and 
        calls on all governments to intensify their efforts; and
            (3) encourages the President to direct the United States 
        Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) 
        to--
                    (A) seek support from OAS member countries for the 
                creation of a special task force of the Inter-American 
                Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) to assist 
                governments in the region in investigating and 
                combatting the proliferation of Islamist terrorist 
                organizations in the Western Hemisphere and to 
                coordinate regional efforts to prevent the spread of 
                this threat; and
                    (B) urge OAS member countries to designate 
                Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda 
                and its constituent entities, and other such groups as 
                terrorist organizations if they have not already done 
                so.
                                 <all>