[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    LEBANON AND SYRIA LIBERATION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, for too long Syria has heard yes from the 
world. It has sponsored terrorism, and the world answered: Yes. It has 
built up an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, and the world 
answered: Yes. And it has stolen from Lebanon its sovereignty and 
political independence, and, once again, the world answered: Yes.
  This week, we are here to tell Syria: No. For over a generation, the 
world stood silently as the occupation set deep roots in Lebanon, while 
hundreds of people were murdered by Syrian-supported terrorists like 
Hezbollah all over the world, and a dangerous stockpile of chemical 
weapons was developed. Anger grew as guerillas entered Iraq from Syria 
to kill innocent Iraqis and American soldiers, but it was left to the 
United States Congress to grab the bull by the horns and devise a 
policy to free Lebanon and confront Syria.
  The Syria Accountability Act and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration 
Act, which I wrote, was signed into law in December 2003 and told Syria 
that things had changed. Until Syria got out of Lebanon, halted its 
support for terror, ended weapons of mass destruction programs and 
stanched the flow of extremists into Iraq, it would face sanctions.
  Last fall, the United Nations followed our lead. They demanded in 
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 that Syria completely leave 
Lebanon, and Hezbollah be dismantled. But still, Syria remains in 
Lebanon, and the terror machine operates from the Damascus sanctuary.
  It is remarkable, but it has taken the murder of a former prime 
minister of Lebanon and mass protests by Lebanese aspiring for 
democracy for the world to take on the Syria challenge. The Cedar 
Revolution which has been launched by Lebanese people calling for Syria 
to leave Lebanon is something that really make us proud.
  So this week, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and I 
introduced a new bill. This is the natural follow-up to the Syria 
Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act. The 
legislation is called LA SYRIA LA, which means in Arabic, No Syria No. 
It says that until Damascus gets completely out of Lebanon, stops 
supporting terrorist groups and ends it weapons of mass destruction 
programs, the Lebanese and Syria Liberation Act, LA SYRIA LA, codifies 
existing sanctions against Syria and imposes American sanctions on 
countries and companies which provide destabilizing weapons to Syria. 
In other words, third countries will have sanctions against them if 
they provide destabilizing weapons to Syria. It calls for a State 
Department report to Congress on Syrian activities, provides for 
American assistance to pro-democracy and human rights groups in Syria 
and Lebanon and instructs our government to oppose Syrian bids for U.N. 
leadership positions and international loans to Syria.
  So, today, we stand with the Lebanese people who wish to take back 
their people by saying no to the Syrian occupiers. We stand with the 
world and the President of the United States, who is saying no to the 
Syrian occupation, and we align ourselves with the forces of Lebanese 
democracy which will deliver the ultimate no to Syria through power of 
the ballot box, not the barrel of the gun.
  Now I must say, today, the newspapers reported that in a sharp policy 
reversal, the Bush administration is now ready to see Hezbollah in a 
role in Lebanon at the urging of France. I am sorry to hear, that, if 
it is true, is ill-advised, and I urged the administration to never 
acquiesce to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. Hezbollah is in 
the same category as al Qaeda, and the President has said time and time 
again that there are no good terrorists, only bad terrorists, and we 
cannot compromise with terrorism. I hope this is not the fact. We 
should not deal with Hezbollah. Hezbollah killed 243 Marines, U.S. 
Marines, 20 some odd years ago in Beirut and has killed countless 
number of Israeli citizens by being allowed to conduct a proxy off of 
Syria against Israel in South Lebanon.
  Resolution 1559 of the U.N. Security Council which we sponsored says 
that Hezbollah and all terrorist organizations in Lebanon must be 
dismantled and that the Syrians must get out of Lebanon. I urge the 
administration to stick to its guns on that and never recognize 
Hezbollah as anything more than a terrorist group.

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