[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 32 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 32

 Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the occupation of 
          the Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 26, 2005

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the occupation of 
          the Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic.

Whereas the Syrian Arab Republic is the only country currently occupying another 
        country that is a full member of the United Nations, in violation of all 
        international laws and norms, including United Nations Security Council 
        Resolutions 425, 426, 520, and 1559;
Whereas since its invasion of the Republic of Lebanon in 1976, the Syrian regime 
        has implemented a systematic policy of occupation over Lebanon that has 
        transformed the political, social, and economic character of Lebanon;
Whereas on July 20, 1976, President Hafez al-Assad of Syria stated that, ``Syria 
        and Lebanon were one state and one people . . .'';
Whereas the total Syrian occupation was complete on October 13, 1990, when the 
        Syrian troops launched aerial and ground attacks and occupied the 
        Lebanese presidential palace and the ministry of defense, ousting the 
        constitutional government of Prime Minister Michel Aoun of Lebanon;
Whereas the Syrian regime appointed their own proxy government and president in 
        occupied Lebanon and started a large-scale persecution operation against 
        the Lebanese people by arresting, abducting, torturing, and killing 
        opponents to the occupation;
Whereas, on May 22, 1991, following the occupation of Beirut, Lebanon, Syria 
        concluded the Brotherhood Treaty for Coordination and Cooperation with 
        Lebanon;
Whereas this treaty solidified the integration of the two countries in matters 
        of security and intelligence, finance and trade, and industry and 
        agriculture, by establishing the mechanism for Syrian command under the 
        cover of ``joint'' decision-making;
Whereas the Syrian regime has continued to employ a wide range of policy means 
        to transform Lebanon into a ``client state'' and a Syrian political 
        satellite;
Whereas Syria clearly tampered with the Lebanese parliamentary elections of 
        1992, 1996, and 2000, amending electoral laws in all instances, which 
        delineated voting districts and laid down intricate procedures for the 
        elections, which were rigged in a way to guarantee results favorable to 
        Syria;
Whereas Syrian-backed ad-hoc modifications to the Lebanese constitution extended 
        the presidential tenure of the Lebanese president Elias Harawi by three 
        years, allowed Emile Lahoud, commander of the Lebanese army, to become 
        president, and extended Lahoud's term in contravention of United Nations 
        Security Council Resolution 1559;
Whereas Lebanese judicial institutions have been utilized and mobilized to 
        impose Syrian control, including the routine issuance of death sentences 
        in abstentia against patriots and oppositionists;
Whereas Lebanese Broadcasting Law No. 382 of 1994 provided the legislative 
        framework for controlling and restricting Lebanese radio and television;
Whereas the muzzle on the free flow of information and opinion in Lebanon is in 
        sharp contrast to the legacy of journalism in that country;
Whereas Syria has reportedly widely utilized the practices of kidnapping and 
        arresting Lebanese citizens, using torture against them, and causing 
        their virtual disappearance;
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported that in November 1999 Syrian authorities in 
        Damascus, Syria, offering no explanation whatsoever, returned the dead 
        body of Lebanese citizen Adel Khalaf Ajouri, aged 52, who had 
        ``disappeared'' in 1990;
Whereas within Lebanon itself, Syria reportedly operated detention facilities in 
        Tripoli, Beirut, Shtaura in the Bekka Valley, and Anjar on the Lebanese-
        Syrian border;
Whereas ``Syrian order'' in Lebanon was institutionalized when Damascus led the 
        process of disarming the Lebanese militias except for retaining 
        Hezbollah as a terrorist force engaged against the State of Israel;
Whereas Lebanon, under the control of Syria, continues to serve as a major 
        training center for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, 
        Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and the Popular Front for the 
        Liberation of Palestine-General Command;
Whereas Lebanese Government officials have actively facilitated and contributed 
        to the Syrian occupation and its activities, threatening regional and 
        global security; and
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 calls for the ``strict 
        respect of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political 
        independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the 
        Government of Lebanon throughout Lebanon'', the withdrawal from Lebanon 
        of ``all remaining foreign forces'', ``the disbanding and disarmament of 
        all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias,'' and ``the extension of the 
        control of the Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Republic of Lebanon is a captive country;
            (2) the occupation of Lebanon represents a long-term threat 
        to the security of the Middle East and United States efforts to 
        promote political and economic liberalization in the region, 
        and this issue should be raised by the President and the 
        Secretary of State in all appropriate bilateral and 
        multilateral forums;
            (3) the President should direct the United States Permanent 
        Representative to the United Nations to present and secure 
        support for a United Nations Security Council Resolution 
        classifying Lebanon as a ``captive country'' and calling for 
        the immediate release of all Lebanese detainees in Syria and 
        Lebanon;
            (4) the President should freeze all assets in the United 
        States belonging to Lebanese Government officials who are found 
        to support and aid the occupation of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab 
        Republic;
            (5) all countries should fully and immediately implement 
        United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559;
            (6) it should be the policy of the United States to--
                    (A) support independent human rights and pro-
                democracy advocates in Lebanon; and
                    (B) seek the full restoration of sovereign 
                democratic rule in Lebanon; and
            (7) the United States should provide assistance through the 
        Middle East Partnership Initiative and the Broader Middle East 
        and North Africa Initiative for broadcasts and civil society 
        efforts to assist individuals, organizations, and entities that 
        support Lebanese sovereignty and the promotion of democracy in 
        Lebanon.
                                 <all>