[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H669-H673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIK
HARIRI
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 91) honoring the life and legacy of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 91
Whereas on February 14, 2005, a bomb exploded in Beirut,
Lebanon, killing at least 15 people, including Rafik Hariri,
former Prime Minister of Lebanon, and wounding at least 100
people;
Whereas Rafik Hariri, a leader and public servant, was
believed to be the target of the attack;
Whereas on June 14, 2003, the Future TV studio in Lebanon,
which is owned by Rafik Hariri, was targeted by a rocket
attack;
Whereas Rafik Hariri, born into a humble family in Sidon,
Lebanon, on November 1, 1944, became a successful businessman
and politician who served the people of Lebanon in numerous
roles;
Whereas Rafik Hariri contributed to the mediation between
Lebanese militias during the Lebanese civil war and was a
primary architect of the 1989 Taif Accords, which put an end
to the Lebanese civil war;
Whereas Rafik Hariri contributed to the economic
development and post-war reconstruction of Lebanon,
attracting foreign investments from throughout the world;
Whereas Rafik Hariri founded several philanthropic,
humanitarian, and educational foundations to provide
assistance to needy individuals;
Whereas Rafik Hariri was respected by the international
community, as exemplified by the international community's
support for the Paris II conference on relieving Lebanon's
debt in November 2002;
Whereas the assassination of Rafik Hariri should not be
allowed to discourage participation and open debate in
Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections, which the United
States expects to take place in the spring of 2005 as
scheduled and be credible, democratic, and free of foreign
interference;
Whereas in response to the terrorist bombing attack,
President George W. Bush stated: ``Mr. Hariri was a fervent
supporter of Lebanese independence, and worked tirelessly to
rebuild a free, independent, and prosperous Lebanon following
its brutal civil war and despite its continued foreign
occupation. His murder is an attempt to stifle these efforts
to build an independent, sovereign Lebanon free of foreign
domination.''; and
Whereas President Bush further stated: ``The people of
Lebanon deserve the freedom to choose their leaders free of
intimidation, terror, and foreign occupation, in accordance
with UN Security Council Resolution 1559. The United States
will consult with other governments in the region and on the
Security Council today about measures that can be taken to
punish those responsible for this terrorist attack, to end
the use of violence and intimidation against the Lebanese
people, and to restore Lebanon's independence, sovereignty,
and democracy by freeing it from foreign occupation.'': Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the
terrorist bombing attack that occurred on February 14, 2005,
in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri and killed and wounded others;
(2) extends its deepest sympathy and condolences to the
families of all the victims in this terrorist attack and to
the people of Lebanon in this moment of tragedy;
(3) recognizes the significant contributions made by Rafik
Hariri during his lifetime;
(4) reaffirms the right of the people of Lebanon to choose
their leaders in a manner that is free of intimidation,
terror, and foreign occupation in accordance with United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004); and
(5) urges all members of the international community to
facilitate any investigation into this terrorist attack and
help bring the perpetrators to justice.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
General Leave
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on H. Res. 91, the resolution under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
{time} 1430
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House Resolution 91,
introduced by the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) on February
14, 2005, that condemns the terrorist bombing attack that occurred in
Beirut, Lebanon, which killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri and killed and wounded over 100 others. I and my cosponsors had
a hard time writing this resolution with the gentleman from West
Virginia, not because there was not an abundance of material, not
because the attack was not heinous, but because it is so hard to
summarize in a few words on the House floor the devastating effect that
his assassination has already had on the people of Lebanon and on this
troubled region. As we speak, day after day, the people of Lebanon
march in the streets and they chant, ``Syria out. Syria out. Syria,
who's next?''
There is no proof that Syria is directly responsible for this
assassination, but there is no doubt that Syria has remained in Lebanon
far longer either than their mandate or than the agreements under the
Taif Accords of 1989. Syria has claimed to be the responsible party in
Lebanon for security. Yet even after warnings of the possibility of an
attack on these and other leaders who have voiced their opposition to
the continued presence of Syria in Lebanon, this heinous attack was
allowed to occur.
This resolution calls on all foreign forces in Lebanon to leave the
country. This resolution calls on many things. But for today, I would
like all of us to remember it calls on a remembrance of the life of a
man who had great personal wealth, who had great success, who had been
granted even the citizenship of another country in which he had worked
but returned to Lebanon, and, at his own expense and at his own peril,
campaigned tirelessly for Lebanese citizenship, Lebanese nationality,
Lebanon for the Lebanese.
There is little more that we can say. I would hope that all of us
would not forget today, and that day after day and month after month we
would return to this body and deal with his legacy until his dreams
become a reality.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H. Res. 91, condemning the monstrous terrorist
bombing in Beirut, Lebanon that killed the late Prime Minister of
Lebanon, Rafik Hariri, and killed and wounded many others. I want to
commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for bringing this matter
to the floor in such a timely fashion, and I want to thank the
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and all other colleagues who
have worked on this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I met the late Prime Minister Hariri on many occasions.
Although I did not always agree with him, I held him in the highest
regard because I recognized in him a man who was a true patriot,
single-mindedly devoted to healing his nation after 15 years of a
bloody civil war. He was a man not only of charm and drive but of
vision. He worked a minor miracle in reviving downtown Beirut, and it
was characteristically cynical that the murderers chose that particular
area of the city as the site for their cruel crime.
I knew that part of Beirut very well. I first visited it in 1956 and
it was one of the gems of the Middle East. The late Prime Minister
Hariri returned that portion of Beirut to its former outstanding
aesthetic qualities. Given his immense wealth, he could be alive right
now, living the good life somewhere on the French Riviera with a
mansion and a private beach. Instead, he threw himself into the
treacherous world of Lebanese politics, Lebanese politics played out
under a menacing Syrian shadow, and like so many before him, he paid
the ultimate price.
Among Mr. Hariri's most impressive attributes was his capacity for
growth. Over time, he evolved from a Lebanese leader who was close to
the Syrians, into one who was wary of them, and finally, in his last
days, into one who outright opposed them. Of course it is a near
certainty that it was that evolution, particularly the final stage,
that led to his demise. A long time ago in a private talk with the
President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, he taught me a lesson. He said,
``Every country has its
[[Page H670]]
exports and Syria exports trouble.'' No wiser words were ever said in
connection with this latest tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, as I stand here, I do not know for certain who murdered
Rafik Hariri. I only know that this thuggish action bears all the
hallmarks of infamous Syrian-inspired assassinations in Lebanon's past,
going back to the then-shocking killing of Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt
in 1977. I also know that Syria makes little effort to hide the fact
that these assassinations are intended to intimidate other potential
opponents.
Bashar al-Assad was supposed to represent a new, more humane Syria,
but that unfortunately has not been the case at all, and certainly not
in Lebanon. Just this past fall, a pro-Hariri cabinet minister who
resigned his post over Syrian manipulation of Lebanese politics was the
victim of a shooting widely believed to be inspired by Syria.
Mr. Speaker, Lebanese politics is highly complex, but I do know that
when Rafik Hariri turned decisively against Syria, he cast his lot with
the opposition in recent months. Damascus had plenty of reasons to be
concerned. With international respect and domestic popularity, and with
Lebanese parliamentary elections on the horizon for this spring, Hariri
was just the sort of opponent who could make life very uncomfortable
for the Syrian occupying overlords.
So is Syria guilty of the murder of Rafik Hariri? None of us is
certain at this moment, Mr. Speaker, but I share the sentiments of the
late Mr. Hariri's son, Saad Eddeen, who when asked why his father was
killed replied simply, ``It's obvious, isn't it?'' I believe it is
obvious, Mr. Speaker.
We do not yet know for certain who is responsible for the brutal
assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri, but that brutal act is
all too reminiscent of similar murders of Lebanese political leaders by
Syrian henchmen over the past three decades, and we cannot ignore the
similarities.
Our Department of State, Mr. Speaker, took exactly the right step
yesterday in recalling our Ambassador from Damascus. And I find myself
in the rare position of agreeing with the French, who said that there
should be an international investigation of this crime, because I am
certain that we cannot trust the Syrian-dominated Lebanese Government
to conduct a thorough and impartial inquiry.
Whether through international investigation or through other means,
Mr. Speaker, the culprits of this heinous crime and their sponsors and
their masters must be found and brought to justice and the Lebanese
people must now act decisively to truly take their future into their
own hands.
Mr. Speaker, Syria has an international legal obligation to remove
its troops and its security forces from Lebanon. When I met with the
Syrian President some time ago, I reminded him of this obligation. So
did former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Removing the boot of Syria
from the neck of Lebanon would unleash the talents and resources of
this beautiful and potentially rich country which has suffered
unspeakably under the Syrian yoke.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution and I call on all my
colleagues to support it as well.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), someone whose ancestry is from
Lebanon, someone who has been a student of Lebanon, and someone who was
in periodic communication directly and indirectly with the former Prime
Minister.
Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me this time. I thank him for the resolution. I thank my
friend from West Virginia who called me on Monday to talk with me about
the terrible events that took place and the idea of quickly introducing
a resolution so that we could honor the Prime Minister. I thank the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for his good words.
A few hours ago, the people of Lebanon laid to rest their former
Prime Minister. They laid him to rest in a place in Lebanon that he
rebuilt. Ten years ago I had the privilege of going to Lebanon for the
first time and over the last 10 years I have been to Lebanon at least
once a year. Every time I have been there I have been warmly welcomed
by the Prime Minister.
Ten years ago when I visited Lebanon, it was a war-torn country and
Beirut was a war-torn city, a lot of burned-out buildings, a lot of
areas where you could see the remnants of a war that took place. Today
it is a beautiful city. Today it has been rebuilt thanks almost in
large part to the efforts of former Prime Minister Hariri. It was
rebuilt with his own resources, rebuilt with his own ingenuity, rebuilt
by his ability to bring people together.
Today he was laid to rest there in an area called Solidaire which he
designed and built as the business center for Beirut, a magnificent
area. The Prime Minister was able to make Beirut what it was once known
as, the Paris of the Middle East. If you go there today, you will
recognize that immediately.
When he would come to the United States and visit with our Presidents
or our Secretaries of State or the Speaker of the House or the minority
leader or Members of Congress, he would always talk about how do we get
more people to come to Lebanon, how do we get more people from this
country to go there and understand the complexities of the country?
He was a man who brought people together, whether it be in his own
country or in our country. He was a uniter, not a divider. He certainly
did not deserve what he got and what was delivered to him a few days
ago when he was assassinated. He did not deserve that. I hope that we
are able to find those that perpetrated this terrible, terrible event
against him that took his life and those of others that were in his
entourage.
Rafik Hariri is a world leader. He was a peacemaker. He was one that
was able to really bring people together. He was responsible for the
Taif Agreement. He was the one that kept speaking out for people to
really come together in his own country. He provided over 2,000
scholarships to students not only in Lebanon, but around the world, so
they could go to school because he knew the importance of education.
He contributed so much to so many ordinary Lebanese citizens,
contributed so much to rebuilding the country. I considered him a very,
very dear friend. I had many opportunities to visit with him when he
was in this country, to get to know his family, his children, his two
sons, and they hopefully will be able to continue some of the work that
he began a long time ago.
{time} 1445
I am not going to take the time to try to lay blame. I think we
should be here to honor this great man, this great leader, the great
peacemaker, the uniter of people, the one that has brought people
together around the idea that Lebanon is a country that deserves
attention, a country that has not always gotten the attention that it
deserved.
And so in urging Members to vote for this resolution, we say, job
well done, good work, we thank those who have made this resolution
possible today, and God speed to Rafik Hariri for his efforts to try to
unite the Middle East to bring our fellow Lebanese people together as
he has visited this country and to rebuild the beautiful city of
Beirut. We have lost a great leader. We will remember him.
As Members vote for this resolution, I hope they will also remember
him and his family in their thoughts and prayers.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the principal author of this
resolution we are considering.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me this time, and I thank him for his help on this resolution.
I thank as well the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman
of the full committee; the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen),
subcommittee chairwoman; and especially the gentleman from California
(Mr. Issa) for his invaluable help in drafting this resolution. I thank
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Dingell), the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), my initial
co-sponsors, for their quick action as well following the events of
Monday morning this week.
Mr. Speaker, both of my grandfathers were born in Lebanon. It is a
heritage
[[Page H671]]
of which I am proud. I am proud as well about the relationship between
our two countries. I am proud of the Lebanese people. I am proud of the
contributions that the Lebanese society has given to not only America
but to the world and vice versa. We can look across all sectors of
American life, cultural, educational, medical, and see examples of
where our two people have worked closely for the betterment of
humankind. And that relationship is strong. It has been strong over
decades and decades, and it will continue to be strong.
I have traveled Beirut a number of times. I was there at the height
of the Israeli bombardment in July/August of 1982. I have been in
Lebanon at the height of the fighting, at the height of the hostage
taking. I have been in Lebanon in peaceful times. Recently, I have seen
the reconstruction and the beauty that has returned and the safety and
security that has returned to that city and most all of the country.
And that has made me proud of the land of my grandfathers. It has made
me proud of the Lebanese people, the dedication they have.
They have been through a lot, there is no doubt about it. The civil
war took its toll on the country. During that time, we saw Lebanon
serve as the chessboard for many outside foreign forces to play their
power games upon the land of Lebanon. The government was weak then.
They could not control their borders. They could not control the
outside forces that came into Lebanon to play their deadly, deadly
games.
But in 1990 that civil war came to an end. It came to an end with the
tremendous help of the former Lebanese prime minister, he was not prime
minister at that time, Rafik Hariri. He was born in Lebanon but raised
and made most of his fortune in Saudi Arabia. He represented that
country as well as Lebanon in bringing the various militias together to
end the civil war in the early 1990s time frame. He also used his
personal wealth to rebuild that country, as has already been stated on
the floor today.
Solidaire, the reconstruction company that rebuilt downtown Beirut,
did it in a fashion that much of ancient history was preserved at the
same time that Beirut looked forward to the future. And it was done in
a way that had to reconcile many factions within Beirut itself. So
Rafik Hariri spent not only his personal fortune in this rebuilding,
but he put his life on the line for his native country of Lebanon.
The fate that he suffered this past Monday morning is a fate that no
human being on the face of the Earth should suffer. It was a criminal
act; it was a heinous act of terrorism from those who do not have the
courage to work through the political systems or differences. I do not
know who is to blame. Certainly there are enough outside forces in the
region that once again are looking at Lebanon to play their ugly,
deadly games. It is well known Rafik Hariri's background with the Saudi
royal family. They have enemies in the region. Certainly we know that
al Qaeda would use every chance to strike at the Saudi royal family.
Much has been said about the Syrian influence. Syria is a neighborly
Arab country, a brotherly country to Lebanon; and it certainly has its
interest in that country, as two neighbors always will have.
But that is beside the point today. As the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. LaHood) said today, we honor the legacy and the presence of a man
who was huge in Lebanon, but huge in the world as well. He was a friend
to many in this country, including the current occupant of the White
House. When Rafik Hariri would come to Washington, D.C., he was
received with respect, and he was received with hospitality by many of
my colleagues and by many around this country.
So today to his widow, to his sisters and brothers, to his children,
we extend our deepest sympathy; and we know that his presence is big in
Lebanon and around this world and is big in this Congress of the United
States because he had many friends here, and we pay our respects to him
today.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Cox).
Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me this time. And I want to thank the gentleman from West
Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for bringing this resolution to the floor today.
The former prime minister of Lebanon, who died so tragically, was a
visionary for his country, for the region, for the world. He was an
entrepreneur who understood the importance of markets and a free
economy to the future of Lebanon and the future of the Middle East. He
was a philanthropist, who, from his personal fortune, personally paid
for so many to be educated both in this country and around the world,
with only one condition, that they come back to Lebanon and help build
a free democratic society there.
His murder on Tuesday in Beirut was a loss for Lebanon to be sure,
for the Middle East as well, but also for the international community,
for everyone in the world who loves freedom and democracy. We are
gathered today to honor his memory and to call for the swift pursuit
and punishment of those responsible. More importantly, we are here to
do justice to Mr. Hariri's dreams of a free, independent, and sovereign
Lebanon.
I first met Rafik Hariri during a visit to Lebanon 12 years ago. He
was impressive because, as someone from the private sector, he
dedicated himself, at great risk in the midst of civil war, to bringing
warring factions together. He was, as has been stated here, a principal
architect of the Taif Accords. As prime minister, he put in place the
kinds of initiatives that would make Jack Kemp proud, recognizing the
power of incentives, recognizing that if people could be given reason
to share the Lebanese hope that reconstruction was possible to invest
their money not just from Lebanon but from around the world, that even
in those horrible ashes of war, we could see spring up new
entrepreneurship, new hope, and new opportunity.
His tireless work on behalf of peace in a country that was wracked by
a vicious civil war and his diligent pursuit of freedom and
independence for his countrymen, all at great risk to himself and to
his family, was always inspiring. His broader work to open the Middle
East to enterprise and economic prosperity should serve as an example
to people throughout the Middle East and around the world that the path
to prosperity requires free minds and free markets. It is time that we
help bring his dreams to fruition.
I had the opportunity to meet more recently, in December of 2003,
with President Basheer Assad of Syria; and I shared with him our
concerns, our American concerns, about the continued military
occupation in Lebanon which Rafik Hariri worked diligently to bring to
an end.
Mr. Hariri's funeral in part turned into a protest against the
continued Syrian occupation. The 200,000 people participating in the
procession make it clear to the rest of us around the world that those
in Lebanon, just as we here in America and in nations around the world,
deserve the right to self-determination. For 25 years Lebanon and its
people have been denied this freedom.
This resolution honors a great leader of Lebanon whose principles
are, first of all, fundamentally consonant with Lebanon and the
Lebanese spirit and culture, but, second and equally importantly,
completely consonant with what we every day in this United States
Congress fight for for our fellow Americans and for people around the
world.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution to honor Mr. Hariri
and to support the people of Lebanon.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Engel), the distinguished senior member of the Committee
on International Relations.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very distinguished friend from
California for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution. I think that
it is very important that we state that we will not tolerate this kind
of violence and that the United States Congress is going to come out
squarely in opposition to this kind of violence.
Mr. Speaker, I am the author of the Syria Accountability Act; and I
think that it is clear to me, and all the evidence is being gathered,
but I suspect that this assassination has some ties to Damascus, to the
regime in Damascus. There have been all kinds of allegations, and one
thing I know for sure is
[[Page H672]]
that the Syrians have allowed Lebanon to destabilize, and this is part
and parcel of the result.
Prime Minister Hariri in recent months had grown more and more
critical of the Syrian occupation, and I say occupation because it is,
of Lebanon. And in the past months, he objected to Syrian interference
in the running of Lebanon's affairs. The bottom line here is that
Lebanon needs to be free and independent and make its own decisions and
not be held under the yoke of Syria. Syria needs to get out of Lebanon.
I have many, many Lebanese American friends with whom I am very close,
work with me, the Syria Accountability Act, and all feel strongly that
they want their country, their former country and the country to which
they have ties, to be free.
Syria now has 15,000 troops in Lebanon. I was pleased to see the
United States and France collaborate on Security Council Resolution
1559, which pointedly calls for all foreign troops to leave Lebanon and
which clearly says that the Lebanese ought to run their own show. Syria
has allowed various terrorist militias to run free. Hezbollah, the
southern border of Lebanon, northern border of Israel wreaks havoc with
Damascus's blessing.
So at this time, when we pay tribute to Prime Minister Hariri, I also
want to call on words of a former prime minister, General Michel Aoun,
who came right here to Washington just a year ago, and said, ``You
know, in Lebanon Syria likes to play the game they are the arsonist and
the fireman.
{time} 1500
They start the fire and then they want accolades and credit for
putting it out.'' Because General Aoun came here to Washington and
testified before Congress, he was indicted in Lebanon and it is
virtually impossible for him to go back to his country. This is what we
are dealing with.
So in certifying and supporting this resolution today, we recall the
life of Prime Minister Hariri, and nothing could be a more fitting
tribute to Prime Minister Hariri than having the Syrians leave Lebanon.
I will double my efforts to do all I can under the Syria Accountability
Act, talking to the President and seeing what we in Congress can
continue to do to put pressure on Syria to leave Lebanon.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in
voting for this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, many people today have spoken and many more will insert
into the Record their comments on the devastation to the Lebanese
people of this assassination. I suspect all of us can only sit by in
horror and imagine the effect if one of our heads of state running to
regain, in this case equivalency of the Presidency in many ways, were
to be assassinated by parties unknown who opposed his politics, what a
chilling effect that would have on elections.
Mr. Speaker, this spring there will be elections in Lebanon. If I may
speak for a moment as best I can, as though I were Rafik Hariri, what
would he say here today in order to protect the country he loved so
well? I suspect that he would say, ``To the people of the world, to the
people of this country, make those elections this spring free and fair.
Empower the Lebanese people and their candidates not to be chilled by
this terrible event.'' And as the prime mover of the Tai'f Accord, a
man who came as a Sunni Muslim to a troubled region and said it does
not matter if you are Sunni, Shia, Kurd, Orthodox or Maronite, we must
come together, we must put behind us the many sins of the past.
I believe that Prime Minister Hariri would not say ``Do not find out
who killed me,'' not for a moment. But I think what he would say is,
``The best memory that you can have, the best way to eulogize me, is to
make my country free. Have all foreign forces leave my country,
including their secret police. Allow my country to be what it once was
and would be again, given the opportunity to be free of foreign
influence.''
Mr. Speaker, I believe very strongly that those words, and more,
would be from this great man, who cared more about freedom for his
people and about peace than he cared about vengeance.
So as Americans we must demand to know who killed this great leader,
this selfless servant of the people. But in his name we must also make
sure that those elections go forward in a way that presently they will
not. We must take the steps to make sure that we do that. I look
forward to working on a bipartisan basis to craft such legislation or
to urge the administration to bring such sanctions and such force to
bear that will cause that to happen.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms.
Kaptur).
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
yielding me time, and rise with my colleagues to support this
resolution recognizing the life of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. We
condemn in the strongest possible terms the terrorist bombing attack
that occurred February 14, 2005, in Beirut, which took his life, killed
so many others and wounded dozens and dozens of people.
Let me just say that Prime Minister Hariri, when he first took office
in the early 1990s himself pledged to lead his country in what he
called a quantum leap forward to resurrect it from the civil war that
it had endured, a tragedy of over a decade. He said ``I want to go down
in the history books as the man who resurrected Beirut.'' And as a
Member of this Congress who traveled to see part of that resurrection
in Solidaire and the rebuilding of that war-torn country, it goes to
show how one person's vision can literally transform a corner of the
world.
When I think about our conversations with him, I would have to say he
was a man who was very measured. He was someone who actually did not
have to be doing what he was doing in the political realm because he
was so financially wealthy. He did not need any of this. He did not
have to give his life for the country he so deeply loved.
He founded the Hariri Foundation. Through that foundation he helped
to support so many young people for their education, for their future,
for health care, indeed all of the charitable works for which the
Hariri Foundation has been responsible to pull the people of Lebanon
forward.
The son of a grocer, someone with humble roots, he had an incredible
career as a construction magnate in the Middle East. Really his power
in the current Parliament in Lebanon was sufficient that he could have
blocked actions by other leaders in that country, but he chose not to
do so. He believed very much in peaceful evolution. He was the
architect really of the rebirth of modern Lebanon.
I feel so sorry that this has happened, because truly he is someone
who would not want to incite more violence in that very troubled part
of our world. I understand that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
LaHood) was down here a little bit earlier talking about the letter we
signed to the Bush administration. It urges that in order to help to
try to keep the calm in that region, to use our commodity programs
through the U.S. Department of Agriculture more effectively, especially
at this time, throughout that region, in order to turn food into
development assistance. We should aim to keep the calm in a very tender
and difficult moment in history.
I truly extend deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and to
all the victims of this terrorist attack. I shall miss his counsel and
his measured strength, as he came here to advise not just about
Lebanon, but about many topics of concern to fair-minded people of the
world.
I would hope that the world community would not be too quick to judge
who is responsible for this murder. In fact there should be teams set
up to actually investigate and to try to ascertain who might have been
involved. Let us not be too quick to point fingers at who might have
done this, because in fact Mr. Hariri himself would never have done
that. He would have gotten to the bottom of any situation.
Again, I thank the gentleman for rising in support of this very
important resolution to honor the life of former Prime Minister of
Lebanon, Mr. Rafik Hariri.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res.
91 honoring the life and legacy of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri. Extremely well thought of by the international community, Mr.
Hariri's tragic and untimely death is a great loss to us all.
Mr. Hariri was born in Southern Lebanon in 1944 to a family that was
neither political nor
[[Page H673]]
powerful. Mr. Hariri attended the Beirut Arab University where he was
trained as a teacher. After leaving the University, however, Mr. Hariri
went abroad to seek his fortune. He found that fortune in Saudi Arabia,
where he established his own construction firm. Mr. Hariri became the
personal contractor to Prince Fahd, who later became king of Saudi
Arabia. Mr. Hariri's company, Oger, became one of the region's largest
and most profitable construction companies. Mr. Hariri amassed a
fortune that propelled him into Forbes richest 100 people in the world,
with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.
While Mr. Hariri's rags to riches story is noteworthy, it is not what
he will be most remembered for. Mr. Speaker, Rafiq Hariri loved
Lebanon. He genuinely wanted to give something back and to serve his
country. During the civil war he mediated between rival militia groups.
And in 1989, Mr. Hariri was a primary architect of the Taif Accords,
which finally put an end to that war. In 1992, Mr. Hariri returned to
Lebanon to serve as a Member of Parliament, and was appointed Prime
Minister. The first order of business for Prime Minister Hariri was to
restore the Lebanese economy and rebuild the country after the 15 year
civil war. Mr. Hariri left office in 1998 and returned as Prime
Minister again in 2000. During his tenure, he was successful in
attracting foreign investment, rebuilding Beirut and reviving Lebanon's
tourism industry.
I would be remiss, Mr. Speaker, if I did not mention Rafiq Hariri's
humanitarian work. Over the course of his life he found several
philanthropic, humanitarian and educational foundations which aided
poor Lebanese with schools, healthcare and college tuition. In the
midst of the civil war, during cease-fires, he sent Oger trucks into
Beirut's streets to clear away the rubble.
Mr. Speaker, the death of Rafiq Hariri leaves a void in Lebanon, a
void that will not be easily filled.
I would like to take this opportunity to urge the international
community to fully investigate this act of terror. In addition, I
advise the United States to offer forensic assistance to Lebanon. We
have vast experience with bomb investigations, and I feel confident
that our expertise could be used to help identify those responsible for
this assassination, and bring them to justice.
I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life and legacy of
Rafiq Hariri, extending our deepest sorrow to the Lebanese people, both
in Lebanon and around the world on their loss, and in condemning the
heinous act that cut short this still promising life. I would also ask
that my colleagues join me in offering our deepest condolences to the
families of all those killed and our prayers for the swift recovery of
the wounded.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to extend my deepest
sympathy for the untimely death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Mr. Hariri's death is a tremendous loss not only to Lebanon, but to the
global community as well. His efforts to restore peace and prosperity
to his homeland after emerging from brutal civil war have earned him
the great esteem of both myself and many of my House colleagues.
Mr. Hariri began his career as a civil servant at a time when his
country was in desperate need of rehabilitation. In 1990 Lebanon had
just emerged from a 15-year civil war an exhausted nation with an
uncertain future. As Prime Minister, Mr. Hariri worked tirelessly to
restore the nation's economic and political health. By establishing
stable loan programs with various foreign powers, Mr. Hariri secured
much needed reconstruction funds with which he rebuilt Lebanon's
infrastructure. He oversaw the higher education of tens of thousands of
Lebanese students and put forth a sizeable proportion of his own
fortune toward social, education, and transportation projects. Mr.
Hariri worked for a unified Lebanon, free from the social divisions of
war and restored to its former state of health and stability.
As a descendent of Lebanese immigrants, I retain a deep personal
interest in the welfare of my ancestral country. I followed Mr.
Hariri's struggles as Prime Minister to put Lebanon back on firm
footing and admired his determination. Now that Mr. Hariri has passed
away, I can only hope that his cause will continue to be carried out by
those who must now fill his place.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rehberg). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 91, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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