[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1017 Engrossed in House (EH)]








H. Res. 1017

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                    September 26, 2006.
Whereas Lebanon's remarkable Cedar Revolution led to the withdrawal of Syrian 
        occupation troops in April 2005, the most significant step toward true 
        Lebanese independence and sovereignty since the outbreak of civil war in 
        1975;
Whereas the Cedar Revolution reached a dramatic crescendo on March 14, 2005, 
        when one million Lebanese demonstrated in Beirut's Martyrs Square 
        demanding freedom and independence and an end to the Syrian occupation;
Whereas true Lebanese independence and sovereignty was not fully achieved even 
        after the Syrian troop withdrawal for many reasons, including especially 
        the apparent ongoing presence of Syrian security personnel in Lebanon, 
        an ongoing assassination campaign against Lebanese public figures who 
        oppose appeasement of Syria, and Hizballah's control and militarization 
        of southern Lebanon;
Whereas, on August 12, 2006, during the fighting between Israel and Hizballah, 
        the Government of Lebanon for the first time in decades called for the 
        deployment of the Lebanese armed forces throughout Lebanese territory 
        ``such that there will be no weapons or authority other than that of the 
        Lebanese state'';
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 
        fighting, authorizes an enhanced United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon 
        (UNIFIL) to ``accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they 
        deploy throughout the (Lebanese) South'', a process which is currently 
        underway;
Whereas UNSCR 1701 also calls for the enhanced UNIFIL force, at the ``request'' 
        of the Government of Lebanon, to assist the Government of Lebanon ``to 
        secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in 
        Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel'';
Whereas the Lebanese armed forces are inadequate to the task of interdicting 
        arms-smuggling along the Syrian border without the assistance of an 
        international force;
Whereas the Government of Lebanon has not yet requested the assistance of the 
        enhanced UNIFIL force on the Syrian border;
Whereas Syria is trying to intimidate Lebanon from requesting UNIFIL assistance 
        on the border, with threatening statements such as the Syrian leader's 
        warning that such deployment would be deemed ``hostile''; and
Whereas it is manifestly in the interests of the international community, which 
        seeks peace and stability in the Middle East, to support the full 
        sovereignty and security of Lebanon: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the many Lebanese who continue to adhere steadfastly to 
        the principles of the Cedar Revolution;
            (2) commends the democratically-elected Government of Lebanon for 
        its critical and courageous decision to deploy the Lebanese armed 
        forces, for the first time in decades, to Lebanon's border with Israel;
            (3) affirms that the clear intention of the international community, 
        as expressed in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, is that 
        the flow of weapons to Hizballah should cease and that Hizballah should 
        be disarmed;
            (4) calls on all countries, and particularly countries through which 
        Iranian-supplied materiel passes en route from Iran to Hizballah, to 
        take every possible measure to prevent the transfer of arms to 
        Hizballah, so as to contribute to the stability of Lebanon and of the 
        region and to the enforcement of the sovereignty of the Government of 
        Lebanon over its own territory, as required by UNSCR 1701;
            (5) calls on the international community to monitor the compliance 
        of Iran and Syria with the arms embargo on Hizballah, as these two 
        countries are the principal suppliers of weaponry to Hizballah;
            (6) calls on Iran and Syria to cease supporting Hizballah with funds 
        and arms;
            (7) condemns Syria's ongoing overt and covert campaign of 
        intimidation against Lebanon;
            (8) condemns the Syrian leader's outrageous claim that the 
        deployment of international peace-keeping forces on the Lebanese-Syrian 
        border would be ``hostile'' against Syria;
            (9) urges the Government of Lebanon to request without delay 
        international assistance including, but not limited to, military forces, 
        as needed, on the Lebanese border with Syria so as to prevent the re-
        supply of weapons to Hizballah and to ensure the full implementation of 
        all aspects of UNSCR 1701 in spirit and intent, as well as in letter;
            (10) urges that such international assistance not impede commercial, 
        non-military trade between civilians on both sides of the border;
            (11) believes that without such international assistance on the 
        Lebanese border with Syria another Hizballah-provoked war will break out 
        with horrendous consequences for the people of Lebanon, Israel and the 
        entire region;
            (12) pledges support for the democratically-elected Government of 
        Lebanon and the Lebanese people against Syria's campaign of 
        intimidation; and
            (13) re-affirms its strong support for Lebanon's independence and 
        for the full sovereignty of the Government of Lebanon over Lebanese 
        territory, through the instrument of the Lebanese armed forces.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.