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








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1017

 Affirming support for the sovereignty and security of Lebanon and the 
                            Lebanese people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2006

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Affirming support for the sovereignty and security of Lebanon and the 
                            Lebanese people.

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 a robust international force deployment 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) believes that without such an international deployment 
        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;
            (11) pledges support for the democratically-elected 
        Government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people against Syria's 
        campaign of intimidation; and
            (12) 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.
                                 <all>