[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H1237-H1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO 
 ORGANIZATIONS THAT THREATEN TO DISRUPT THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS--
 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 104-173)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, without objection, referred to the 
Committee on International Relations and ordered to be printed:


[[Page H1238]]

To the Congress of the United States:
  I hereby report to the Congress on the developments concerning the 
national emergency with respect to organizations that 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 interest 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 ``STDs'').
  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 his 
delegate, or the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (FAC) 
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.
  2. On January 25, 1995, the Department of the Treasury issued a 
notice listing persons blocked pursuant to Executive Order No. 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 No. 12947, as well as 18 individuals who are leaders or 
representatives of these groups. In addition the notice provides 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 risk of committing, acts of violence that have the purpose 
of disrupting the Middle East peace process or to have assisted in, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material or technological support 
for, or service in support of, such acts of violence, or are owned or 
controlled by, or to 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 
STDs (60 Fed. Reg. 41152-53, August 11, 1995; 60 Fed. Reg. 44932-33, 
August 29, 1995; and 60 Fed. Reg. 58435-36, November 27, 1995). Copies 
of the notices are attached to this report. The FAC, in coordination 
with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, is continuing to 
expand the list of Specially Designated Terrorists, including both 
organizations and individuals, as additional information is developed.

  3. The expenses incurred by the Federal Government in the 6-month 
period from July 23, 1995, through January 22, 1996, 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 $2.6 million. (The expenses for the previous period, 
incorrectly stated in the report of July 27, 1995, to be approximately 
$55,000, were about $2.5 million.) Personnel costs were largely 
centered in the Department of the Treasury (particularly in the Office 
of Foreign Assets Control, the Office of the General Counsel, and the 
U.S. Customs Service), the Department of State, and the Department of 
Justice.
  4. Executive Order No. 12947 provides this Administration with a new 
tool for combating fundraising in this country on behalf of 
organizations that use terror to undermine the Middle East peace 
process. The order makes 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.
  In addition, the Congress has pending before it comprehensive 
counterterrorism legislation proposed by the Administration that would 
strengthen our ability to prevent terrorist acts, identify those who 
carry them out, and bring them to justice. The combination of Executive 
Order No. 12947 and the proposed legislation demonstrate the U.S. 
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).
                                                  William J. Clinton.  
  The White House, February 9, 1996.

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