[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S15116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 239--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT NADIA 
 DEBBAGH, WHO WAS ABDUCTED FROM THE UNITED STATES, SHOULD BE RETURNED 
                HOME TO HER MOTHER, MS. MAUREEN DABBAGH

  Mr. ROBB submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 239

       Whereas Mr. Mohamad Hisham Dabbagh and Mrs. Maureen Dabbagh 
     had a daughter, Nadia Dabbagh, in 1990;
       Whereas Maureen Dabbagh and Mohamad Hisham Dabbagh were 
     divorced in February 1992;
       Whereas in 1993, Nadia was abducted by her father;
       Whereas Mohamad Hisham fled the United States with Nadia;
       Whereas the Governments of Syria and the United States have 
     granted child custody to Maureen Dabbagh and both have issued 
     arrest warrants for Mohamad Dabbagh;
       Whereas Mohamad Dabbagh originally escaped to Saudi Arabia;
       Whereas the Department of State believed that Nadia was 
     residing in Syria until late 1998;
       Whereas the Senate passed S. Res. 293 for Nadia Dabbagh on 
     October 21, 1998, asking Syria to aid in the return of Nadia 
     to her mother in the United States;
       Whereas in 1999, Syria invited Maureen Dabbagh to Syria to 
     meet with her daughter;
       Whereas the Department of State believes that in 1999 Nadia 
     was moved to Saudi Arabia and is residing with Mohamad 
     Dabbagh;
       Whereas although Nadia is in Saudi Arabia, neither she nor 
     Mohamad Dabbagh are Saudi Arabian citizens;
       Whereas Maureen Dabbagh, with the assistance of missing 
     children organizations, has been unable to reunite with her 
     daughter;
       Whereas the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation, and Interpol have been unsuccessful in their 
     attempts to bring Nadia back to the United States;
       Whereas Maureen Dabbagh has not seen her daughter in more 
     than six years; and
       Whereas it will take the continued effort and pressure on 
     the part of the Saudi Arabian officials to bring this case to 
     a successful conclusion: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     Governments of the United States and Saudi Arabia immediately 
     locate Nadia and deliver her safely to her mother.

 Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I'm submitting a resolution today 
expressing a sense of the Senate regarding a heinous crime affecting a 
family in Virginia and a growing problem in this country. With this 
resolution, I seek to bring to your attention the plight of child 
abductions by noncustodial parents, and to encourage the United States 
and Saudi Arabia to immediately locate Nadia Dabbagh and return her 
safely to her mother.
  Ms. Maureen Dabbagh of Virginia Beach has not seen or heard from her 
daughter, Nadia, in 6 years. When Nadia was just 3 years old, she was 
illegally abducted by her father, Mr. Mohamad Hisham Dabbagh, and the 
State Department believes they are currently in Saudia Arabia on 
temporary visas. Throughout this ordeal, Maureen Dabbagh has been aided 
by many caring people, groups, and government agencies, but despite 
FBI, State Department, and Interpol efforts, Nadia is still separated 
from her mother.
  According to the Department of Justice, 983 children are abducted by 
noncustodial parents every day. I greatly sympathize with Maureen 
Dabbagh and with all parents facing similar situations. I believe that 
we, as Members of Congress and as parents, ought to use all available 
resources to locate missing and abducted children. I ask that we 
redouble our efforts to bring Nadia home.

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