[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1194 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1194

    Reaffirming the support of the House of Representatives for the 
 legitimate, democratically-elected Government of Lebanon under Prime 
                        Minister Fouad Siniora.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2008

   Mr. Berman (for himself, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Issa, and Mr. Wexler) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Reaffirming the support of the House of Representatives for the 
 legitimate, democratically-elected Government of Lebanon under Prime 
                        Minister Fouad Siniora.

Whereas, on May 7, 2008, the terrorist group Hizballah, in response to the 
        justifiable exercise of authority by the sovereign, democratically-
        elected Government of Lebanon, initiated an unjustifiable insurrection 
        by fomenting riots, blocking roads, seizing buildings, and organizing 
        marauding groups of gunmen who took control of much of Beirut, including 
        the sites of key government institutions, and provoked sectarian 
        fighting elsewhere in Lebanon;
Whereas, in the course of this ongoing insurrection initiated by Hizballah, more 
        than 80 Lebanese citizens have been murdered and more than 250 have been 
        wounded;
Whereas, in the course of this fighting, Hizballah and allied fighters attacked 
        the residences of Future Party leader Saad Hariri and Progressive 
        Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, both of whose parties are members 
        of the legitimate governing coalition under Prime Minister Fouad 
        Siniora;
Whereas, in the course of their insurrection, Hizballah and allied fighters 
        forced the Future Party's television station off the air and burned the 
        building housing the Future Party's newspaper;
Whereas Hizballah and its allies have turned over some of the areas they 
        conquered in Beirut to the Lebanese Armed Forces;
Whereas key government institutions, including the prime ministry, remain under 
        siege, as do the residences of Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt;
Whereas the purpose of Hizballah's insurrection is to intimidate the legitimate, 
        democratically-elected Government of Lebanon, the Lebanese Armed Forces, 
        and other legitimate Lebanese authorities, so that Hizballah will have 
        maximum freedom of military action, can deepen its control over its 
        ``state within a state'' in Shiite-dominated areas of Lebanon, and can 
        enhance its influence on Lebanese Government decision-making in order to 
        render Lebanon subservient to Iranian foreign policy;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701 affirm 
        the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political 
        independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the 
        Government of Lebanon;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701 call 
        for the disbanding and disarming of all militias in Lebanon;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 insists that no country 
        transfer arms into Lebanon other than with the consent of the Government 
        of Lebanon;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 explicitly forbids Iran 
        from transferring arms to any entity;
Whereas Hizballah has contemptuously dismissed the requirements of the United 
        Nations Security Council by refusing to disarm;
Whereas Hizballah and its allies have repeatedly sought to undermine the 
        legitimate Government of Lebanon under Prime Minister Siniora by 
        preventing parliament from meeting and blocking the election of a new 
        President, leaving that office vacant for the past half-year;
Whereas, contrary to the explicit and binding mandates of the United Nations 
        Security Council, Iran continues to provide training, arms, and funding 
        to Hizballah;
Whereas, contrary to the explicit and binding mandates of the United Nations 
        Security Council, Syria continues to facilitate the transfer of arms to 
        Hizballah via its territory;
Whereas Syria, through, inter alia, its support of Hizballah's efforts to 
        undermine Prime Minister Siniora, its suspected campaign of 
        assassinations of Lebanese leaders, its minimal cooperation with the 
        international investigation of these assassinations, and its refusal to 
        delineate its border with Lebanon, shows every sign of wanting to 
        control Lebanon as it did prior to its April 2005 withdrawal;
Whereas it is highly likely that Hizballah provoked the recent fighting in 
        Lebanon with the blessing of Syria and Iran; and
Whereas Hizballah and its Lebanese political allies continue to pursue an agenda 
        favoring foreign interests over the will of the majority of Lebanese as 
        expressed in a legitimate and democratic election: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms its strong support for the legitimate, 
        democratically-elected Government of Lebanon under Prime 
        Minister Fouad Siniora;
            (2) expresses its profound sympathy to the people of 
        Lebanon, who have again been thrust unjustly, and against their 
        will, into a conflict initiated by Hizballah;
            (3) offers its condolences to all those in Lebanon who have 
        suffered displacement, injury, or death in their family, or 
        among their loved ones, as a consequence of Hizballah's 
        unjustifiable insurrection against the Government of Lebanon;
            (4) condemns--
                    (A) Hizballah's illegitimate assault on the 
                sovereign Government of Lebanon, which has led to the 
                worst sectarian warfare in that country since the civil 
                war from 1975 to 1990;
                    (B) Hizballah for its unprovoked attacks against 
                Lebanese leaders, citizens, and against Lebanese public 
                and private institutions and for its illegal occupation 
                of territory under the sovereignty of the Government of 
                Lebanon; and
                    (C) Syria and Iran for illegally transferring arms 
                and providing other forms of military support to 
                Hizballah, in clear violation of United Nations 
                Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680, 1701, and 
                1747;
            (5) demands that Hizballah immediately cease its attacks 
        and withdraw from all areas in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon 
        that it has occupied since May 7, 2008, as a first step towards 
        its total disarmament; and
            (6) urges--
                    (A) the United States Government and the 
                international community to immediately take all 
                appropriate actions to support and strengthen the 
                legitimate Government of Lebanon under Prime Minister 
                Fouad Siniora;
                    (B) the United Nations Security Council to--
                            (i) condemn Syria and Iran for their 
                        blatant violation of United Nations Security 
                        Council Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701;
                            (ii) condemn Iran for its violation of 
                        Chapter-VII-based United Nations Security 
                        Council Resolution 1747; and
                            (iii) as part of sanctions on Iran for 
                        violating Chapter-VII-based United Nations 
                        Security Council Resolution 1747, prohibit all 
                        air traffic between Iran and Lebanon and 
                        between Iran and Syria;
                    (C) every country controlling possible transit 
                routes from Iran to Lebanon to impose the strictest 
                possible controls on the movement of Iranian vehicles, 
                airplanes, and goods to ensure that Iran is not 
                exploiting its land and airspace for the purpose of 
                illegally transferring arms to Hizballah and other 
                terrorist groups; and
                    (D) the European Union, in light of recent and 
                earlier Hizballah actions, to designate Hizballah as a 
                terrorist group and to treat it accordingly.
                                 <all>