110 HRES 1201 IH: Expressing the grave concern of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-05-15
text/xml
EN
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Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559
reaffirms the Security Council’s call for the strict respect of the
sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of
Lebanon, under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon,
throughout all Lebanese territory;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1680
strongly encourages the Government of Syria to delineate its border with
Lebanon and establish full diplomatic relations and representation;
Whereas Lebanon has been without a president for 5 months,
and Hezbollah continues to block the election of a new president;
Whereas Hezbollah has violently taken control of much of
Beirut;
Whereas Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has called for
immediate, free and fair
presidential elections without
prior conditions
and conducted according to Lebanese
constitutional rules, without foreign interference and
influence
;
Whereas the Security Council has repeatedly called for
free and fair presidential elections in Lebanon in accordance with the Lebanese
constitution and without preconditions or foreign influence;
Whereas Syria continues to undermine the legitimate
Government of Lebanon, headed by Prime Minister Siniora;
Whereas on April 22, the Friends of Lebanon called for the
immediate election of a Lebanese president without prior conditions, the
establishment of a national unity government, and the holding of general
elections in conformity with an electoral law agreed by all parties, in
accordance with the Arab League plan;
Whereas the Friends of Lebanon also called on all parties
inside and outside Lebanon to respect Lebanon’s independence and
sovereignty;
Whereas the Friends of Lebanon include a robust and
diverse set of representatives from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan,
Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and
the United States, along with the Secretary General of the Arab League, the
Secretary General of the Council of the European Union, and the Secretary
General of the United Nations;
Whereas Hezbollah has established an parallel structure to
the elected Government of Prime Minister Siniora, which is the sole legitimate
authority in Lebanon;
Whereas according to the Government of Lebanon, Hezbollah
maintains its own separate and secure communication network, which is
considered illegal;
Whereas the Government of Lebanon regards the network as
illegal
and an attack on the sovereignty of the
State
;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary General’s special
envoy to Lebanon reports that Hezbollah maintains a massive paramilitary
infrastructure separate from the State;
Whereas Hezbollah, with extensive support from Iran and
Syria, has restored and enhanced its arsenal of rockets and sophisticated
antitank guided missiles, estimated to include 10,000 long range and 20,000
short range rockets, deployed both north and south of the Litani River;
Whereas Lieutenant General Michael Maples, the director of
the Defense Intelligence Agency, testified before Congress in February 2008,
saying, Lebanese Hezbollah continues to receive weapons, training, and
resources from Iran
;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747,
acting under Chapter 7 of the United Nations charter, said Iran shall
not supply, sell, or transfer . . . any arms of related materiel
and
all Nations shall prohibit the procurement of such items from
Iran
;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary General’s special
envoy to Lebanon has said the United Nations continues to be deeply
concerned
by the activities of Syrian-based Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine-General Command and Fatah Al-Intifada, both of which
maintain significant military infrastructures within Lebanon and along the
border with Syria;
Whereas both Resolutions 1559 and 1701 call for the
disarmament of all armed militias and foreign forces in Lebanon, and state
there should be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of
the Lebanese State
;
Whereas Resolution 1701 established an enhanced United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to assist the Lebanese armed forces
in taking steps to disarm all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the
Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or
authority in Lebanon, other than those of the Lebanese State;
Whereas Resolution 1701 requires that States in the region
take the necessary measure to prevent . . . the sale or supply . . . of
arms and related material . . .
to Lebanon, except those authorized by
the Government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL;
Whereas United Nations Secretary General has called on
Syria and Iran to support Hezbollah’s transformation into a political
party;
Whereas on numerous occasions, United Nations forces
identified armed Hezbollah operatives and weapons convoys, but failed to
intercede as authorized by United Nations rules;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary General’s 7th
semiannual report on the implementation of Resolution 1559 stated that on the
night of March 30, 2008, United Nations troops on patrol in southern Lebanon
encountered unidentified armed elements
but failed to take
action, even after being threatened at gunpoint;
Whereas under Resolution 1701, United Nations forces in
Lebanon are specifically authorized to take all necessary action . . .
to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of
any kind
;
Whereas Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and
Eldad Regev, abducted by Hezbollah forces on July 12, 2006, have not been
released, as called for in Resolution 1701, and have not been permitted access
to the International Red Cross, as afforded to them under international law;
and
Whereas on March 27, 2008, the Security Council encouraged
the United Nations Secretary General to continue to take steps towards the
establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in order to prosecute those
responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri, and noted that the Tribunal is based on the highest
international standards of criminal justice
: Now, therefore, be
it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)demands that all
provisions of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions be implemented,
including—
(A)Hezbollah’s
immediate and unconditional release of Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud
Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, as mandated by Resolution 1701;
(B)Hezbollah and
other armed foreign and Lebanese militia groups disband and disarm, as required
by Resolutions 1559 and 1701; and
(C)the strict
enforcement of the arms embargo, as both Resolution 1559 and 1701 demand there
be no weapons in Lebanon without the consent of the Government of Lebanon, and
no authority other than that of the Government of Lebanon;
(2)calls for—
(A)the immediate
election of a Lebanese president without preconditions, in accordance with the
Lebanese constitution, and without foreign interference, as called for by the
Security Council;
(B)the Security
Council to declare Iran and Syria in violation of Resolutions 1559, 1701, and
1747; and
(C)the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to follow its established terms of engagement
and take the necessary steps when confronted to disarm Hezbollah and other
armed elements;
(3)expresses—
(A)continued support
for the Government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, the sole legitimate
authority in Lebanon;
(B)support for the
Government of Lebanon in asserting its sovereignty by extending its authority
throughout its territory, particularly in the southern regions;
(C)vigorous support
for a democratic Lebanon, with both domestic and foreign militias permanently
disarmed;
(D)support for UNIFIL
troops, and strong hope for the expansion of its troops to the Syrian border to
enforce the weapons embargo;
(E)its deepest concern
that the continued failure of the international community to live up to its
commitments to stop Hezbollah’s rearmament could once again lead to war;
and
(F)unwavering support
and commitment to the unconditional release of abducted Israeli soldiers;
and
(4)condemns Iran and
Syria—
(A)for their ongoing
violation of Resolutions 1559 and 1701, especially for their rearmament of
Hezbollah; and
(B)for sponsoring,
financing, and arming terrorist organizations internationally, and specifically
within Lebanon.