[House Document 112-17]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



112th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 112-17

 
      CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 NOTIFICATION OF THE EXPANSION OF THE SCOPE OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY 
DECLARED WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA DECLARED IN EXECUTIVE ORDER 13338 OF MAY 
                11, 2004, PURSUANT TO 50 U.S.C. 1622(d)




May 2, 2011.--Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered 
                             to be printed
                                           The White House,
                                        Washington, April 29, 2011.
Hon. John Boehner,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby 
report that I have issued an Executive Order (the ``order'') 
that expands the scope of the national emergency declared in 
Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, and relied upon for 
additional steps taken in Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 
2006, and Executive Order 13460 of February 13, 2008.
    In Executive Order 13338, the President found that the 
actions of the Government of Syria constitute an unusual and 
extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, 
and economy of the United States and declared a national 
emergency to deal with that threat. To address that threat and 
to implement the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty 
Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-175), the President in 
Executive Order 13338 blocked the property of certain persons 
and imposed additional prohibitions on certain transactions 
with respect to Syria.
    I have determined that the Government of Syria's human 
rights abuses, including those related to the repression of the 
people in Syria, manifested most recently by the use of 
violence and torture against, and arbitrary arrests and 
detentions of, peaceful protestors by police, security forces, 
and other entities that have engaged in human rights abuses, 
constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national 
security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and 
warrant the imposition of additional sanctions.
    The order blocks the property and interests in property of 
persons listed in the Annex to the order. The order also 
provides criteria for designations of persons determined by the 
Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary 
of State:
           to be responsible for or complicit in, or 
        responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise 
        directing, or to have participated in, the commission 
        of human rights abuses in Syria, including those 
        related to repression;
           to be a senior official of an entity whose 
        property and interests in property are blocked pursuant 
        to the order;
           to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 
        provided financial, material, or technological support 
        for, or goods or services in support of, human rights 
        abuses in Syria, or any person whose property and 
        interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive 
        Order 13338, Executive Order 13460, or the order; or
           to be owned or controlled by, or to have 
        acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly 
        or indirectly, any person whose property and interests 
        in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 
        13460 or the order.
    I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the 
authority, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take 
such actions, including the promulgation of rules and 
regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President 
by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the 
order. I have also delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, 
in consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to 
determine that circumstances no longer warrant the blocking of 
the property and interests in property of a person listed in 
the Annex to the order, and to take necessary action to give 
effect to that determination.
    The order was effective at 1:00 p.m. eastern daylight time 
on April 29, 2011. All executive agencies of the United States 
Government are directed to take all appropriate measures within 
their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.
    I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
            Sincerely,
                                                      Barack Obama.
                            Executive Order

                              ----------                              


   Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to Human Rights 
                            Abuses in Syria

    By the authority vested in me as President by the 
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, 
including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States 
Code,
    I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, 
hereby expand the scope of the national emergency declared in 
Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, and relied upon for 
additional steps taken in Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 
2006, and in Executive Order 13460 of February 13, 2008, 
finding that the Government of Syria's human rights abuses, 
including those related to the repression of the people of 
Syria, manifested most recently by the use of violence and 
torture against, and arbitrary arrests and detentions of, 
peaceful protestors by police, security forces, and other 
entities that have engaged in human rights abuses, constitute 
an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, 
foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and I hereby 
order:
    Section 1. All property and interests in property that are 
in the United States, that hereafter come within the United 
States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or 
control of any United States person, including any overseas 
branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not be 
transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
          (a) the persons listed in the Annex to this order; 
        and
          (b) any person determined by the Secretary of the 
        Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
                  (i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or 
                responsible for ordering, controlling, or 
                otherwise directing, or to have participated 
                in, the commission of human rights abuses in 
                Syria, including those related to repression;
                  (ii) to be a senior official of an entity 
                whose property and interests in property are 
                blocked pursuant to this order;
                  (iii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, 
                or provided financial, material, or 
                technological support for, or goods or services 
                in support of, the activities described in 
                subsection (b)(i) of this section or any person 
                whose property and interests in property are 
                blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13338, 
                Executive Order 13460, or this order; or
                  (iv) to be owned or controlled by, or to have 
                acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, 
                directly or indirectly, any person whose 
                property and interests in property are blocked 
                pursuant to Executive Order 13460 or this 
                order.
    Sec. 2. I hereby determine that the making of donations of 
the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA 
(50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person 
whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant 
to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to 
deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 
13338 and expanded in this order, and I hereby prohibit such 
donations as provided by section 1 of this order.
    Sec. 3. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include 
but are not limited to:
          (a) the making of any contribution or provision of 
        funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of 
        any person whose property and interests in property are 
        blocked pursuant to this order; and
          (b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of 
        funds, goods, or services from any such person.
    Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order apply 
except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, 
orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to 
this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or 
any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of 
this order.
    Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or 
within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose 
of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to 
violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is 
prohibited.
    (b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the 
prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
    Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order:
          (a) the term ``person'' means an individual or 
        entity;
          (b) the term ``entity'' means a partnership, 
        association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, 
        subgroup, or other organization;
          (c) the term ``United States person'' means any 
        United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity 
        organized under the laws of the United States or any 
        jurisdiction within the United States (including 
        foreign branches), or any person in the United States; 
        and
          (d) the term ``Government of Syria'' means the 
        Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, its agencies, 
        instrumentalities, and controlled entities.
    Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in 
property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a 
constitutional presence in the United States, I find that 
because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets 
instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be 
taken pursuant to this order would render those measures 
ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to 
be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in 
Executive Order 13338 and expanded in this order, there need be 
no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to 
section 1 of this order.
    Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with 
the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such 
actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, 
and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as 
may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The 
Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions 
to other officers and agencies of the United States Government 
consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United 
States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate 
measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of 
this order.
    Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with 
the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to determine that 
circumstances no longer warrant the blocking of the property 
and interests in property of a person listed in the Annex to 
this order, and to take necessary action to give effect to that 
determination.
    Sec. 10. This order is not intended to, and does not, 
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United 
States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, 
employees, or agents, or any other person.
    Sec. 11. This order is effective at 1:00 p.m. eastern 
daylight time on April 29, 2011.
                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, April 29, 2011.
                                 ANNEX

Individuals
1. Mahir AL-ASAD [Brigade Commander in the Syrian Army's Fourth 
        Armored Division, born 1968]
2. Ali MAMLUK [director of the Syrian General Intelligence 
        Directorate, born 1947]
3. Atif NAJIB [former head of the Syrian Political Security 
        Directorate for Dar'a Province]
Entities
1. Syrian General Intelligence Directorate
2. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps--Qods Force

                                  
