[House Document 106-20]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document
106-20
A REPORT ON THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO THE MIDDLE EAST
PEACE PROCESS
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
A SIX MONTH PERIODIC REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING THE NATIONAL
EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO TERRORISTS WHO THREATEN TO DISRUPT THE MIDDLE
EAST PEACE PROCESS THAT WAS DECLARED IN EXECUTIVE ORDER 12947 OF
JANUARY 23, 1995, PURSUANT TO 50 U.S.C. 1703(c)
February 23, 1999.--Referred to the Committee on International
Relations and ordered to be printed
____________
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The White House,
Washington, January 27, 1999.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: As required by section 401(c) of the
National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1641(c), and section 204(c)
of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50
U.S.C. 1703(c), I transmit herewith a 6-month periodic report
on the national emergency with respect to terrorists who
threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process that was
declared in Executive Order 12947 of January 23, 1995.
Sincerely,
William J. Clinton.
President's Periodic Report on the National Emergency With Respect to
Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process
I hereby report to the Congress on the developments
concerning the national emergency with respect to terrorists
who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process that was
declared in Executive Order No. 12947 of January 23, 1995. This
report is submitted pursuant to section 401(c) of the National
Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1641(c), and section 204(c) of the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (``IEEPA''), 50
U.S.C. 1703(c).
1. On January 23, 1995, I signed Executive Order 12947,
``Prohibiting Transactions with Terrorists Who Threaten To
Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process'' (the ``Order'') (60
Fed. Reg. 5079, January 25, 1995). The Order blocks all
property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which there is any
interest of 12 terrorist organizations that threaten the Middle
East peace process as identified in an Annex to the Order. The
Order also blocks the property and interests in property
subject to U.S. jurisdiction of persons designated by the
Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of the
Treasury and the Attorney General, who are found (1) to have
committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of
violence that have the purpose or effect of disrupting the
Middle East peace process, or (2) to assist in, sponsor, or
provide financial, material, or technological support for, or
services in support of, such acts of violence. In addition, the
Order blocks all property and interests in property subject to
U.S. jurisdiction in which there is any interests of persons
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination
with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, to be
owned or controlled by, or to act for or on behalf of, any
other person designated pursuant to the Order (collectively
``Specially Designated Terrorists'' or ``SDTs'').
The Order further prohibits any transaction or dealing by a
United States person or within the United States in property or
interests in property of SDTs, including the making or
receiving of any contribution of funds, goods, or services to
or for the benefit of such persons. This prohibition includes
donations that are intended to relieve human suffering.
Designations of persons blocked pursuant to the Order are
effective upon the date of determination by the Secretary of
State or her delegate, or the Director of the Office of Foreign
Assets Control (``OFAC'') acting under authority delegated by
the Secretary of the Treasury. Public notice of blocking is
effective upon the date of filing with the Federal Register, or
upon prior actual notice.
Because terrorists' activities continue to threaten the
Middle East peace process and vital interests of the United
States in the Middle East, on January 21, 1998, I continued for
another year the national emergency declared on January 23,
1995, and the measures that took effect on January 24, 1995, to
deal with that emergency. This action was taken in accordance
withsection 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C.
1622(d)).
2. On January 25, 1995, the Department of the Treasury
issued a Notice listing persons blocked pursuant to Executive
Order 12947 who have been designated by the President as
terrorist organizations threatening the Middle East peace
process or who have been found to be owned or controlled by, or
to be acting for or on behalf of, these terrorist organizations
(60 Fed. Reg. 5084, January 25, 1995). The notice identified 31
entities that act for or on behalf of the 12 Middle East
terrorist organizations listed in the Annex to Executive Order
12947, as well as 18 individuals who are leaders or
representatives of these groups. In addition, the notice
provided nine (9) name variations or pseudonyms used by the 18
individuals identified. The list identifies blocked persons who
have been found to have committed, or to pose a significant
risk of committing, acts of violence that have the purpose or
effect of disrupting the Middle East peace process or to have
assisted in, sponsored, or provided financial, material or
technological support for, or services in support of, such acts
of violence, or are owned or controlled by, or act for or on
behalf of other blocked persons. The Department of the Treasury
issued three additional Notices adding the names of three
individuals, as well as their pseudonyms, to the List of SDTs
(60 Fed. Reg. 41152, August 11, 1995; 60 Fed. Reg. 44932,
August 29, 1995; and 60 Fed. Reg. 58435, November 27, 1995).
On August 20, 1998, I signed Executive Order 13099 (63 Fed.
Reg. 45167, August 20, 1998) amending Executive Order 12947 by
adding Usama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin (a.k.a. Usama bin
Ladin) and two of his associates, Abu Hafa al-Masri and Rifa'i
Ahmad Taha Musa, and the Islamic Army to the Annex of Executive
Order 12947 as terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle
East peace process. Executive Order 13099 does not limit or
otherwise affect the other provisions of Executive Order 12947.
3. On February 2, 1996, OFAC issued the Terrorism Sanctions
Regulations (the ``TSR'' or the ``Regulations'') (61 Fed. Reg.
3805, February 2, 1996). The TSR implement the President's
declaration of a national emergency and imposition of sanctions
against certain persons whose acts of violence have the purpose
or effect of disrupting the Middle East peace process. There
have been no amendments to the TSR, 31 C.F.R. Part 595
administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (``OFAC'')
of the Department of the Treasury, since my report of July 21,
1998.
4. Since the signing of Executive Order 12947 in January
1995 through June 1998, more than $650,000 in assets in which
SDTs have an interest were blocked. The blocking of these
assets, consisting of funds and real property, stopped their
conversion or other disposal for the benefit of the SDTs having
an interest in them. In June 1998, assets totaling $1.2
million, including a large portion of the assets previously
blocked, were seized pursuant to civil forfeiture statutes.
Following the issuance of Executive Order 13099, several
million dollars in SDT-related funds were blocked in aid of
investigation. Federal agencies will continue to work closely
to identify and block assets in which SDTs have an interest and
will vigorously implement Executive Orders 12947 and 13099
against Usama bin Ladin and other Middle East terrorists.
5. Since January 25, 1995, OFAC has issued nine licenses
pursuant to the Regulations. These licenses authorize payment
of legal expenses of individuals and the disbursement of funds
for normal expenditures for the maintenance of family members
of individuals designated pursuant to Executive Order 12947,
the employment, receipt of salary and payment of educational
expenses for a Specially Designated Terrorist, for secure
storage of tangible assets of SDTs, and certain administrative
transactions.
6. The expenses incurred by the Federal Government in the
six-month period from July 23, 1998, through January 22, 1999,
that are directly attributable to the exercise of powers and
authorities conferred by the declaration of the national
emergency with respect to organizations that disrupt the Middle
East peace process are estimated at approximately $4.2 million.
This amount reflects additional personnel costs not previously
identified as being directly associated with the administration
of this program.
7. Executive Orders 12947 and 13099 provide this
Administration with a tool for combating fundraising in this
country on behalf of organizations that use terror to undermine
the Middle East peace process. The orders make it harder for
such groups to finance these criminal activities by cutting off
their access to sources of support in the United States and to
U.S. financial facilities. It is also intended to reach
charitable contributions to designated organizations and
individuals to preclude diversion of such donations to
terrorist activities.
The Executive orders demonstrate the United States
determination to confront and combat those who would seek to
destroy the Middle East peace process, and our commitment to
the global fight against terrorism. I shall continue to
exercise the powers at my disposal to apply economic sanctions
against extremists seeking to destroy the hopes of peaceful
coexistence between Arabs and Israelis as long as these
measures are appropriate, and will continue to report
periodically to the Congress on significant developments
pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1703(c).