[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 82 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 82

  Urging the European Union to add Hezbollah to the European Union's 
             wide-ranging list of terrorist organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2005

    Mr. Allen (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Bayh, and Mr. Smith) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Urging the European Union to add Hezbollah to the European Union's 
             wide-ranging list of terrorist organizations.

Whereas Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based radical organization with terrorist cells 
        based in Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, and 
        elsewhere, receiving financial, training, weapons, and political and 
        organizational aid from Iran and Syria;
Whereas Hezbollah has led a 23-year global campaign of terror targeting United 
        States, German, French, British, Italian, Israeli, Kuwaiti, Saudi 
        Arabian, Argentinean, Thai, Singaporean, and Russian civilians, among 
        others;
Whereas former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet called Hezbollah 
        ``an organization with the capability and worldwide presence [equal to] 
        al Queda, equal if not far more [of a] capable organization . . . 
        [t]hey're a notch above in many respects . . . which puts them in a 
        state sponsored category with a potential for lethality that's quite 
        great'';
Whereas Hezbollah has been suspected of numerous terrorist acts against United 
        States citizens, including the suicide truck bombing of the United 
        States Embassy and Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in October 1983, 
        and the Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984;
Whereas the French unit of the Multinational Force in Beirut was also targeted 
        in the attack of October 1983, in which 241 United States soldiers and 
        58 French paratroopers were killed;
Whereas Hezbollah has attacked Israeli and Jewish targets in South America in 
        the mid-1990s, including the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 
        in March 1992, and the AMIA Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in 
        July 1994;
Whereas Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for kidnappings of United States 
        and Israeli civilians and French, British, German, and Russian 
        diplomats, among others;
Whereas even after the Government of Israel's complied with United Nations 
        Security Council Resolution 425 (March 19, 1978) by withdrawing from 
        Lebanon, Hezbollah has continued to carry out attacks against Israel and 
        its citizens;
Whereas Hezbollah has expanded its operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 
        providing training, financing, and weapons to Palestinian terrorist 
        organizations on the European Union terrorist list, including the Al 
        Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the 
        Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;
Whereas in 2004, Hezbollah instigated, financed, or played a role in 
        implementing a significant number of Palestinian terrorist attacks 
        against Israeli targets;
Whereas the European Union agreed by consensus to classify Hamas as a terrorist 
        organization for purposes of prohibiting funding from the European Union 
        to Hamas;
Whereas the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 
        2003 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note) urges the Government of Lebanon to assert the 
        sovereignty of the Lebanese state over all of its territory and to evict 
        all terrorist and foreign forces from southern Lebanon, including 
        Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards;
Whereas, although the European Union has included Imad Fayiz Mughniyah, a key 
        operations and intelligence officer of Hezbollah, on its terrorist list, 
        it has not included his organization on the list;
Whereas the United States, Canada, and Australia have all classified Hezbollah 
        as a terrorist organization and the United Kingdom has placed the 
        Hezbollah External Security Organization on its terrorist list;
Whereas leaders of Hezbollah have made statements denouncing any distinction 
        between its ``political and military'' operations, such as Hezbollah's 
        representative in the Lebanese Parliament, Mohammad Raad, who stated in 
        2001, that ``Hezbollah is a military resistance party, and it is our 
        task to fight the occupation of our land. . . . There is no separation 
        between politics and resistance.'';
Whereas in a book recently published by the deputy secretary-general of 
        Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, entitled ``Hezbollah--the Approach, the 
        Experience, the Future'', Qassem writes ``Hezbollah is a jihad 
        organization whose aim, first and foremost, is jihad against the Zionist 
        enemy, while the political, pure and sensible effort can serve as a prop 
        and a means of support for jihad'';
Whereas United Nations Security Council resolution 1559 (September 2, 2004), 
        jointly sponsored by the United States and France, calls upon all 
        remaining foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for the disbanding 
        and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias;
Whereas in December 2004, the Department of State placed Al-Manar, Hezbollah's 
        satellite television network, on the Terrorist Exclusion List, and in 
        December 2004, the French Council of State banned the broadcasting of 
        Al-Manar in France;
Whereas France, Germany, and Great Britain, with the support of the High 
        Representative of the European Union, have created a working group with 
        Iran to discuss regional security concerns, including the influence of 
        terror perpetuated by Hezbollah and other extremist organizations; and
Whereas cooperation between the United States and the European Union regarding 
        efforts to combat international terrorism is essential to the promotion 
        of global security and peace: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) urges the European Union to classify Hezbollah as a 
        terrorist organization for purposes of prohibiting funding from 
        the European Union to Hezbollah and recognizing it as a threat 
        to international security;
            (2) condemns the continuous terrorist attacks perpetrated 
        by Hezbollah;
            (3) condemns Hezbollah's continuous support of Palestinian 
        terrorist organizations on the European Union terrorist list, 
        such as the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Palestinian 
        Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of 
        Palestine; and
            (4) calls on Hezbollah to disarm and disband its militias 
        in Lebanon, as called for in United Nations Security Council 
        resolution 1559 (September 2, 2004).
                                 <all>