[House Document 112-50]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




112th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - House Document 112-50

 
 NOTIFICATION THAT AN EXECUTIVE ORDER WAS ISSUED BLOCKING PROPERTY OF 
   THE GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA AND PROHIBITING CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS WITH 
                            RESPECT TO SYRIA

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

NOTIFICATION OF HIS DECLARATION OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO 
 BLOCKING PROPERTY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SYRIA AND PROHIBITING CERTAIN 
     TRANSACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA, PURSUANT TO 50 U.S.C. 1703






   August 19, 2011.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
    Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 
(50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA) and in light of the Syria 
Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 
(Public Law 108-175) (SAA), I hereby report that I have issued 
an Executive Order (the ``order'') that takes additional steps 
with respect to the Government of Syria's continuing escalation 
of violence against the people of Syria and with respect to the 
national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 
2004, as modified in scope and relied upon for additional steps 
taken in Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 2006, Executive 
Order 13460 of February 13, 2008, Executive Order 13572 of 
April 29, 2011, and Executive Order 13573 of May 18, 2011.
    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 SAA, the President in Executive Order 13338 
blocked the property of certain persons and imposed additional 
prohibitions on certain transactions with respect to Syria. In 
Executive Order 13572, I expanded the scope of that national 
emergency and imposed additional sanctions.
    The order blocks the property and interests in property of 
the Government of Syria. The order also provides criteria for 
designations of persons determined by the Secretary of the 
Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
           to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 
        provided financial, material, or technological support 
        for, or goods or services in support of, any person 
        whose property and interests in property are blocked 
        pursuant to 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 the order.
    The order also prohibits the following:
           new investment in Syria by a United States 
        person, wherever located;
           the exportation, reexportation, sale, or 
        supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, 
        or by a United States person, wherever located, of any 
        services to Syria;
           the importation into the United States of 
        petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin;
           any transaction or dealing by a United 
        States person, wherever located, including purchasing, 
        selling, transporting, swapping, brokering, approving, 
        financing, facilitating, or guaranteeing, in or related 
        to petroleum or petroleum products of Syrian origin; 
        and
           any approval, financing, facilitation, or 
        guarantee by a United States person, wherever located, 
        of a transaction by a foreign person where the 
        transaction by that foreign person would be prohibited 
        by section 2 of the order if performed by a United 
        States person or within the United States.
    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.
    All 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.

                                                      Barack Obama.
     The White House, August 17, 2011.
                            Executive Order

                              ----------                              


 Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting Certain 
                   Transactions With Respect to 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, 
in order to take additional steps with respect to the 
Government of Syria's continuing escalation of violence against 
the people of Syria and with respect to the national emergency 
declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified 
in scope and relied upon for additional steps taken in 
Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 2006, Executive Order 13460 
of February 13, 2008, Executive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011, 
and Executive Order 13573 of May 18, 2011, hereby order:
    Section 1. (a) 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 Government of Syria are blocked and may not be 
transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in.
    (b) 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: any person 
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State:
          (i) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 
        provided financial, material, or technological support 
        for, or goods or services in support of, any person 
        whose property and interests in property are blocked 
        pursuant to this order; or
          (ii) 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 this order.
    Sec. 2. The following are prohibited:
    (a) new investment in Syria by a United States person, 
wherever located;
    (b) the exportation, reexportation, sale, or supply, 
directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a United 
States person, wherever located, of any services to Syria;
    (c) the importation into the United States of petroleum or 
petroleum products of Syrian origin;
    (d) any transaction or dealing by a United States person, 
wherever located, including purchasing, selling, transporting, 
swapping, brokering, approving, financing, facilitating, or 
guaranteeing, in or related to petroleum or petroleum products 
of Syrian origin; and
    (e) any approval, financing, facilitation, or guarantee by 
a United States person, wherever located, of a transaction by a 
foreign person where the transaction by that foreign person 
would be prohibited by this section if performed by a United 
States person or within the United States.
    Sec. 3. 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 scope in Executive Order 13572, and I 
hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this 
order.
    Sec. 4. 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. 5. The prohibitions in sections 1 and 2 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. 6. (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. 7. Nothing in sections 1 or 2 of this order shall 
prohibit transactions for the conduct of the official business 
of the Federal Government by employees, grantees, or 
contractors thereof.
    Sec. 8. 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. 9. 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 scope in Executive Order 
13572, there need be no prior notice of a listing or 
determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.
    Sec. 10. 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. 11. 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. 12. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern 
daylight time on August 18, 2011.

                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, August 17, 2011.

                                  
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