[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 149 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12709-S12710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EXPRESSING SYMPATHY FOR THE PEOPLE OF JORDAN

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 309 which was submitted earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 309) expressing sympathy for the 
     people of Jordan in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist 
     attacks in Amman on November 9, 2005.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to express my deepest sympathies 
to the people of Jordan, and to all of those affected by the terrorist 
attacks that occurred yesterday in Amman.
  Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his al-Qaida organization in Iraq have taken 
responsibility for this attack, and if this is true, they have added 
still more blood to their hands. These attacks on civilians--guests, 
workers, a wedding party at three hotels in Jordan's capital brutally 
illustrate the hateful agenda of the terrorists. The hotels themselves 
may have been associated with the West, but reports indicate that the 
victims of this terrorist attack were Americans, Palestinians, Chinese, 
Indonesians, Syrians, Saudi Arabians, and, of course, Jordanians. Just 
as global terrorist networks threaten all people of all faiths, so too 
did this attack cause terrible pain and loss for families and 
communities around the world.
  Every time I read headlines like those we all read this morning, I am 
reminded of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The American people know 
something about how the people of Jordan feel today. We feel grief, but 
we also feel outrage, and these feelings merge into unshakable resolve. 
We will work in partnership with countries and communities around the 
world to resist and to defeat those who would have us live in fear.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 309) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 309

       Whereas the United States and a broad international 
     coalition are engaged in a Global War on Terrorism;
       Whereas on November 9, 2005, a series of explosions struck 
     3 hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing at least 56 people and 
     injuring at least 115 others;
       Whereas the terrorist attacks on Amman, Jordan, were 
     senseless and barbaric acts carried out against innocent 
     civilians;
       Whereas Al Qaeda in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the 
     terrorist attacks in Amman, Jordan;
       Whereas the people and Government of the Hashemite Kingdom 
     of Jordan have been targeted in several attempted terrorist 
     attacks over the past few years;
       Whereas the people of Jordan have a long and enduring 
     friendship with the people of the United States and their 
     close cooperation in political, economic, and humanitarian 
     endeavors has benefitted both nations and the people of the 
     Middle East region;
       Whereas the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a stalwart ally 
     of the United States in the global war against terrorism;
       Whereas the people of the United States stand in solidarity 
     with the people of Jordan in fighting terrorism;
       Whereas the Government of the United States immediately 
     condemned the terrorist attacks and extended the support and 
     condolences of the people of the United States to the people 
     of Jordan; and
       Whereas on September 12, 2001, in a letter to President 
     George W. Bush condemning the September 11, 2001, terrorist 
     attacks on the United States, King Abdullah of the Hashemite 
     Kingdom of Jordan stated that ``the people of Jordan join the 
     people of the United States in our absolute condemnation of 
     the terrorist aggression against your nation . . . our hearts 
     reach out to the victims and their families, and we honor the 
     selfless men and women who have risked their lives to aid the 
     injured and suffering . . . be assured that the Hashemite 
     Kingdom of Jordan, its leaders and people stand with you 
     against the perpetrators of these terrorist atrocities. We 
     denounce the violence and hatred they represent.'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns, in the strongest terms, the senseless and 
     barbaric terrorist attacks on the innocent people of Amman, 
     Jordan, on November 9, 2005;
       (2) expresses its condolences to the families and friends 
     of those individuals who were killed in the attacks and 
     expresses its sympathies to those individuals who have been 
     injured;
       (3) expresses the strong and continued solidarity of the 
     people and Government of the

[[Page S12710]]

     United States with the people and Government of the Hashemite 
     Kingdom of Jordan as they recover from these inhumane 
     attacks;
       (4) declares its readiness to support and assist the 
     authorities of Jordan in their efforts to bring to justice 
     those individuals responsible for the attacks; and
       (5) calls upon the international community to renew and 
     strengthen efforts to--
       (A) defeat terrorists by dismantling terrorist networks and 
     exposing the violent and nihilistic ideology of terrorism;
       (B) increase international cooperation to advance personal 
     and religious freedoms, ethnic and racial tolerance, 
     political liberty and pluralism, and economic prosperity; and
       (C) combat the social injustice, oppression, poverty, and 
     extremism that bolsters terrorism.

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