110 HRES 965 IH: Condemning the actions and statements of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-02-07 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 965 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 7, 2008 Mr. Issa (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Royce, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Gallegly, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Bilbray, Ms. Fallin, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Buyer, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Keller of Florida, Mr. Sali, Mr. Pitts, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Broun of Georgia, and Mr. Campbell of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Condemning the actions and statements of Venezuelan president Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.

Whereas on May 14, 2007, for the second year in a row, the State Department determined, pursuant to Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act, that Venezuela was not fully cooperating with United States in antiterrorism efforts; Whereas other uncooperative countries include state sponsors of terrorism, such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria; Whereas State Department officials expressed concerns about groups and individuals in Venezuela with links to terrorist organizations in the Middle East; Whereas Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez is seeking closer economic, military, and diplomatic ties with Iran and North Korea; Whereas in April 2006, the State Department asserted that the Chávez government sought closer relations with Cuba and Iran in the agency’s Country Reports on Terrorism; Whereas President Chávez persists with public criticism of the counterterrorism efforts of the United States and publicly championed Iraqi terrorist and insurgent groups; Whereas the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) are on the State Department’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations; Whereas President Chávez publicly claimed FARC and the ELN are not terrorist groups, and defended their status as true armies that occupy real space in their country; Whereas the Chávez government allowed units of FARC and the ELN to cross into Venezuela to rest and regroup with relative impunity; Whereas the Chávez government allowed splinter groups of FARC and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia, known as the AUC, involved in drug trafficking to operate in various parts of Venezuela; Whereas terrorist groups in Colombia have been found to be in possession of weapons belonging to official Venezuelan stocks and facilities; and Whereas the Chávez government continues to remain indifferent to the activities and movements of terrorist groups operating in Venezuela: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)expresses its support for the Venezuelan people and their continued self-governance in an open, democratic form; (2)calls upon the Chávez government to immediately implement measures to deny Venezuelan territory and weapons from being used as resources by terrorist organizations; (3)urges the Chávez government to police its side of the 1,400 mile Venezuelan-Colombian border to prevent the movement of groups of armed men and narco-terrorists; (4)encourages the Chávez government to cease its supportive rhetoric toward anti-government guerilla movements operating in neighboring countries and respect the sovereignty of those democratic governments; (5)urges President Chávez to resume full cooperation with the United States on counter-terror measures; and (6)calls upon the United States to examine the extent to which Venezuela may be designated as a terrorist sanctuary, defined as an area in the territory of a country that is used by a terrorist or terrorist organization under a government which expressly consents to, or with knowledge, allows, tolerates, or disregards such use of its territory.