[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2776-H2777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




BLOCKING PROPERTY OF CERTAIN PERSONS AND PROHIBITING EXPORT OF CERTAIN 
  GOODS TO SYRIA--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. 
                           DOC. NO. 108-184)

  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:
To the Congress of the United States:
  Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b) (IEEPA), and section 301 of the 
National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631, I hereby report that I have 
issued an Executive Order (order) in which I declared a national 
emergency with respect to the threat constituted by certain actions of 
the Government of Syria. Further, in accordance with subsection 5(b) of 
the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 
2003 (SAA), Public Law 108-75, this message also constitutes the report 
on my exercise of the waiver authority pursuant to that statute.
  On December 12, 2003, I signed into law the SAA in order to 
strengthen the ability of the United States to effectively confront the 
threat to U.S. national security posed by Syria's support for 
terrorism, its military presence in Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of 
mass destruction, and its actions to undermine U.S. and international 
efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq. 
These policies by the Government of Syria directly threaten regional 
stability and undermine the U.S. goal of a comprehensive Middle East 
peace. Despite many months of diplomatic efforts to convince the 
Government of Syria to change its behavior, Syria has not taken 
significant, concrete steps to address the full range of U.S. concerns, 
which were clearly conveyed by Secretary of State Powell to Syrian 
President Asad in May 2003. I find the actions, policies, and 
circumstances described above sufficiently grave to constitute a threat 
to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United 
States, and thus have declared a national emergency to address that 
threat.
  In implementation of subsection 5(a) of the SAA, in the order I 
directed that action be taken to prohibit the export

[[Page H2777]]

to Syria of products of the United States other than food and medicine, 
including but not limited to items on the United States Munitions List 
or Commerce Control List, and I prohibited commercial air services 
between Syria and the United States by aircraft of any air carrier 
owned or controlled by Syria, as well as certain non-traffic stops by 
such aircraft.

  It is important to the national security interests of the United 
States, however, that certain discrete categories of exports continue 
in order to support activities of the United States Government and 
United Nations agencies, to facilitate travel by United States persons, 
for certain humanitarian purposes, to help maintain aviation safety, 
and to promote the exchange of information. Also, it is important to 
U.S. national security interests that aviation-related sanctions take 
into account humanitarian and diplomatic concerns as well as the 
international obligations of the United States.
  Accordingly, I have waived the application of subsections 5(a)(1) and 
5(a)(2)(A) of the SAA to permit the export and reexport of: products in 
support of activities of the United States Government to the extent 
that such exports would not otherwise fall within my constitutional 
authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and protect national 
security; medicines on the Commerce Control List and medical devices; 
aircraft parts and components for purposes of flight safety; exports 
and reexports consistent with the 5(a)(2)(D) waiver outlined below; 
information and informational materials, as well as telecommunications 
equipment and associated items to promote the free flow of information; 
certain software and technology; products in support of United Nations 
operations; and, certain exports and reexports of a temporary nature. 
These items are further identified in the Department of Commerce's 
General Order No. 2, as issued consistent with my order. I have also 
waived the application of subsection 5(a)(2)(D) to permit the following 
with respect to aircraft of any air carrier owned or controlled by 
Syria: takeoffs or landings of such aircraft when chartered by the 
Government of Syria to transport Syrian government officials to the 
United States on official Syrian government business; takeoffs or 
landings for non-traffic stops of such aircraft that are not engaged in 
scheduled international air services; takeoffs and landings associated 
with an emergency; and overflights of U.S. territory.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, May 11, 2004.

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