III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 63 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 17, 2005 Mr. Reid (for Mr. Biden (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Reid, Mr. Frist, Mr. Levin, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Chafee)) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Calling for an investigation into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and urging steps to pressure the Government of Syria to withdraw from Lebanon.

Whereas on February 14, 2005, Rafiq Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in a despicable terrorist attack; Whereas the car bomb used in the assassination killed 16 others and injured more than 100 people; Whereas the intent of the terrorists who carried out the assassination was to intimidate the Lebanese people and push Lebanon backward toward chaos; Whereas Rafiq Hariri served as Prime Minister of Lebanon for a total of 10 years since the end of the Lebanese war in 1991; Whereas Rafiq Hariri helped revitalize the economy of Lebanon and rebuild its shattered infrastructure and pioneered and directed the rebirth of Beirut’s historic downtown district; Whereas Rafiq Hariri stepped down as Prime Minister on October 20, 2004; Whereas Syria maintains at least 14,000 troops and a large number of intelligence personnel in Lebanon; Whereas there is widespread opposition in Lebanon to the continuing Syrian presence in Lebanon; Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement (February 15, 2005) condemning the terrorist bombing that killed Rafiq Hariri and calling on the Lebanese Government to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of this heinous terrorist act; Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (September 2, 2004) calls for the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon, the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon; Whereas Syria is the main supporter of the terrorist group Hezbollah, the only significant remaining armed militia in Lebanon; Whereas Hezbollah supports Palestinian terrorist groups and poses a threat to the prospects for peace in the Middle East; Whereas the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note) was enacted into law on December 12, 2003; and Whereas the President has recalled the United States Ambassador to Syria for urgent consultations: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) condemns the cowardly and despicable assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon; (2) extends condolences to Prime Minister Hariri’s family and the people of Lebanon; (3) supports United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (September 2, 2004), which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon; (4) urges the President to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution that establishes an independent investigation into the assassination; (5) urges the President to consider imposing sanctions under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note); and (6) supports the call of the Lebanese people for an end to Syria’s presence in Lebanon, and for free and fair elections monitored by international observers.