[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 436--URGING THE FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL 
   ASSOCIATION TO PREVENT PERSONS OR GROUPS REPRESENTING THE ISLAMIC 
    REPUBLIC OF IRAN FROM PARTICIPATING IN SANCTIONED SOCCER MATCHES

  Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Ms. Collins, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. 
Ensign, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Martinez) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 436

       Whereas, since 1984, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been 
     identified by the Department of State as an active sponsor of 
     terrorism;
       Whereas an Iran capable of deploying nuclear weapons 
     constitutes a threat to international peace and security;
       Whereas, in July 2003, the Iranian Ministry of Defense 
     confirmed the results of a successful test of an intermediate 
     range ballistic missile that is capable of striking Israel;
       Whereas, since February 2003, Iran has--
       (1) consistently misled the United Nations, the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Union, and 
     the United States about the scope of its nuclear activities; 
     and
       (2) taken steps to produce weapons-grade uranium;
       Whereas top officials of Iran have repeatedly threatened 
     the United States, including--
       (1) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who stated in June 2004 that 
     ``[t]he world of Islam has been mobilized against America for 
     the past 25 years. The peoples call, `death to America'. Who 
     used to say death to America? Who, besides the Islamic 
     Republic and the Iranian people, used to say this? Today, 
     everyone says this.'';
       (2) members of the parliament of Iran who, on October 2004, 
     shouted ``Death to America'' as that body unanimously 
     approved legislation requiring the Government to resume 
     uranium enrichment; and
       (3) President Ahmadinejad, who stated on October 2005 that 
     ``God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon 
     experience a world without the United States and Zionism'', 
     and referred to a world without the United States as ``a 
     possible goal and slogan'';
       Whereas the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in an 
     October 26, 2005, address at the World Without Zionism 
     conference in Tehran, declared that--
       (1) Israel is ``a disgraceful blot [on] the face of the 
     Islamic world'';
       (2) Israel ``must be wiped off the map''; and
       (3) ``anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire 
     of the Islamic nation's fury'';
       Whereas President Ahmadinejad also stated on December 8, 
     2006, that ``If the Europeans are honest they should give 
     some of their provinces in Europe . . . to the Zionists, and 
     the Zionists can establish their state in Europe'';
       Whereas Iran supports and provides funds to terrorist 
     groups that are determined to destroy the State of Israel;
       Whereas an estimated 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Nazi 
     Holocaust;
       Whereas President Ahmadinejad has denied the existence of 
     the Holocaust on numerous occasions, including--
       (1) on December 8, 2005, when at an Islamic conference in 
     Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he declared that ``Some European 
     countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of 
     innocent Jews in furnaces . . . although we don't accept this 
     claim''; and
       (2) on December 14, 2005, when on Iranian television, he 
     remarked that ``They have invented a myth that Jews were 
     massacred and place this above God, religions and the 
     prophets'';
       Whereas it is a crime in the Federal Republic of Germany to 
     deny the existence of the Holocaust;
       Whereas on June 9, 2006, the Federation Internationale de 
     Football Association (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``FIFA'') World Cup soccer tournament is scheduled to begin 
     in the Federal Republic of Germany;
       Whereas the Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of FIFA, 
     and the Iranian national team is scheduled to play its 
     opening match on June 11, 2006, in Nuremberg, Germany, which 
     was the site of war crimes tribunals that tried Nazi leaders 
     for atrocities and genocide against Jews during the 
     Holocaust;
       Whereas the International Olympic Committee barred the 
     Republic of South Africa from the Olympics until 1992, when 
     the country repealed all of its apartheid laws during the 
     previous year;
       Whereas, in October 1964, FIFA suspended the national 
     soccer team of South Africa from international competition 
     until the Government of South Africa ended its policy of 
     apartheid in 1991;
       Whereas, on May 30, 1992, in a resolution imposing 
     diplomatic and economic sanctions on Yugoslavia, the United 
     Nations Security Council called on member states of the 
     United Nations to ``take the necessary steps to prevent the 
     participation in sporting events on their territory of 
     persons or groups representing Yugoslavia.'';
       Whereas, in 1992, the Union of European Football 
     Associations banned Yugoslavia from participating in the 
     European soccer championships and prevented it from 
     participating in the 1994 World Cup qualifying matches; and
       Whereas Article 3 of the ``Regulations Governing the 
     Application of the FIFA Statutes'' states that 
     ``Discrimination of any kind against a country, private 
     person or groups of people on account of ethnic origin, 
     gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is 
     strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or 
     expulsion.'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) condemns the terrible statements issued by the Iranian 
     president and demands that he repudiate them;
       (2) calls on the United Nations Security Council and all 
     countries to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons;
       (3) strongly urges the Federation Internationale de 
     Football Association (referred to in this resolution as 
     ``FIFA'') to ban persons or groups representing the Islamic 
     Republic of Iran from sanctioned international sporting 
     competition, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup, until such 
     time that Iran--
       (A) rescinds its position disavowing the Holocaust;
       (B) repudiates its calls for the eradication of the State 
     of Israel;
       (C) ends its support for terrorism; and
       (D) ceases its pursuit of nuclear weapons; and
       (4) calls on all FIFA members to support such actions 
     within the appropriate FIFA governing bodies.

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