[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 26, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H1819-H1820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  BLOCKING PROPERTY OF ADDITIONAL PERSONS IN CONNECTION WITH NATIONAL 
  EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO SYRIA--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
                  UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 109-100)

  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:
  Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as 
amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have 
issued an Executive Order blocking property of persons in connection 
with the terrorist act in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 14, 2005, that 
resulted in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq 
Hariri and the deaths of 22 others, and other bombings or assassination 
attempts in Lebanon since October 1, 2004, that are related to Hariri's 
assassination or that implicate the Government of Syria or its officers 
or agents. I issued this order to take additional steps with respect to 
the national emergency declared in Executive

[[Page H1820]]

Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, concerning certain actions of the 
Government of Syria. In Executive Order 13338, I determined that the 
actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing 
its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction, and 
undermining United States and international efforts in Iraq constituted 
an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign 
policy, and economy of the United States, and declared a national 
emergency to deal with that threat.
  The United Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1595 of April 7, 
2005, established the international independent investigation 
Commission (the ``Commission''), reiterated its call for the strict 
respect of the sovereignty of Lebanon, and reaffirmed its unequivocal 
condemnation of the February 14, 2005, terrorist bombing that killed 
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others. The Commission's 
charter included identifying the bombing perpetrators, sponsors, 
organizers, and accomplices. United Nations Security Council Resolution 
(UNSCR) 1636 of October 31, 2005, called upon all States to provide 
necessary assistance to the Commission concerning its investigation 
into the February 14, 2005, terrorist bombing and to freeze the assets 
of those persons designated by the Commission or the Government of 
Lebanon as suspected of involvement in this terrorist act, upon 
notification of such designation to, and agreement of, the Committee of 
the Security Council established by UNSCR 1636. United Nations Security 
Council Resolution 1644 of December 15, 2005, condemned other terrorist 
attacks in Lebanon since October 2004 and reaffirmed that all those 
involved in these attacks must be held accountable for these crimes, 
and in doing so, authorized the Commission to extend its technical 
assistance to Lebanese authorities with regard to their investigations 
regarding the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 
2004.
  In view of UNSCR 1636, my new order takes additional steps with 
respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 by 
blocking the property and interests in property of persons determined 
by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary 
of State, to be, or to have been, involved in the planning, sponsoring, 
organizing, or perpetrating of the terrorist act on February 14, 2005, 
that resulted in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq 
Hariri and the deaths of 22 others, or any other bombing, 
assassination, or assassination attempt in Lebanon since October 1, 
2004, that is related to Hariri's assassination or that implicates the 
Government of Syria or its officers and agents, or to have obstructed 
or otherwise impeded the work of the Commission. The order further 
authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the 
Secretary of State, to designate for blocking those persons determined 
to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, 
material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support 
of, any such terrorist act, bombings, or assassination attempts, or any 
person designated pursuant to this order, or to be owned or controlled 
by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
indirectly, any person designated pursuant to this order.
  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 IEEPA and the United Nations Participation 
Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c), as may be necessary to carry out the 
purposes of my order. The order was effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern 
daylight time on April 26, 2006.
  I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, April 26, 2006.

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