[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 BLOCKING PROPERTY OF CERTAIN PERSONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE CONFLICT IN 
COTE D'IVOIRE--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. 
                              NO. 109-88)

  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 (NEA), I hereby report that I 
have issued an Executive Order (the ``order'') blocking the property of 
certain persons contributing to the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire. In that 
order, I declared a national emergency to deal with the unusual and 
extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the 
United States posed by that conflict, as described below.
  The United Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1572 of November 
15, 2004, expressed deep concern over the resumption of hostilities in 
Cote d'Ivoire, the public incitement of hatred and violence, and the 
repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003. United 
Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1572 determined that the 
situation in Cote d'Ivoire poses a threat to international peace and 
security in the region and called on member States to take certain 
measures against persons responsible for the continuing conflict. The 
United Nations Security Council has continued to express serious 
concern at the persistence of the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and of 
obstacles to the peace and national reconciliation process from all 
sides in UNSCRs 1643 of December 15, 2005, and 1652 of January 24, 
2006.
  Despite the intervention and efforts of the international community, 
there have been massacres of large numbers of civilians, widespread 
human rights abuses, significant political violence and unrest, and 
attacks against international peacekeeping forces in Cote d'Ivoire. 
Such activity includes the killing of large numbers of civilians in 
Korhogo in June 2004, and in Abidjan in March 2004; significant 
violence and unrest, including public incitements to violence, in 
Abidjan in November 2004; human rights violations, 
including extrajudicial killings, in western Cote d'Ivoire in April and 
June 2005; attacks on a police station and prison in July 2005 in 
Anyama and Agboville, and violent protests in Abidjan and attacks on 
U.N. and international nongovernmental organization facilities in 
western Cote d'Ivoire in January 2006. Also, notwithstanding the Linas-
Marcoussis Agreement signed by the Ivorian political forces on January 
24, 2003, the related ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003, the Accra III 
Agreement of July 30, 2004, the Pretoria Agreement of April 6, 2005, 
and the Declaration on the Implementation of the Pretoria Agreement of 
June 29, 2005, consolidating the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis 
peace and national reconciliation process, Ivorian parties have 
continued to engage in military operations and attacks against 
peacekeeping forces in Cote d'Ivoire leading to fatalities.

  Pursuant to the IEEPA and the NEA, I have determined that these 
actions and circumstances constitute an unusual and extraordinary 
threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States 
and declared a national emergency to deal with that threat and have 
issued an Executive Order to deal with the threat to U.S. national 
security and foreign policy posed by the situation in or in relation to 
Cote d'Ivoire.
  The order blocks the property and interests in property in the United 
States, or in the possession or control of United States persons, of 
the persons listed in the Annex to the order, as well as of any person 
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with 
the Secretary of State, to constitute a threat to the peace and 
national reconciliation process in Cote d'Ivoire, such as by blocking 
the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis, Accra III, and Pretoria 
Agreements; to be responsible for serious violations of international 
law in Cote d'Ivoire; to have directly or indirectly supplied, sold or 
transferred to Cote d'Ivoire arms or any related materiel or any 
assistance, advice, or training related to military activities; or to 
have publicly incited violence and hatred contributing to the conflict 
in Cote d'Ivoire.

  The designation criteria will be applied in accordance with 
applicable domestic law, including where appropriate, the First 
Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  The order also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after 
consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking any 
person determined to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided 
financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services 
in support of, the activities listed above or any person listed in or 
designated pursuant to the order. I further authorized the Secretary of 
the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, to 
designated for blocking any person determined to be owned or controlled 
by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, any person listed in or designated pursuant to the order. 
The Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of 
State, is also authorized to remove any persons from the Annex to the 
order as circumstances warrant.
  I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with 
the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including 
the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers 
granted to the President by the IEEPA and the United Nations 
Participation Act, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the 
order. All executive agencies are directed to take all appropriate 
measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the 
order.
  The order, a copy of which is enclosed, became effective at 12:01 
a.m. eastern standard time on February 8, 2006.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, February 8, 2006.

                          ____________________