[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 133 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8864-H8866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR LEBANON'S DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the resolution (H. Res. 1088) expressing support for Lebanon's
democratic institutions and condemning the recent terrorist
assassination of Lebanese parliamentarian and Industry Minister Pierre
Amin Gemayel.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 1088
Whereas on November 21, 2006 Pierre Gemayel, a Member of
the March 14 parliamentary coalition, was assassinated in New
Jdeide, north of Beirut, Lebanon;
Whereas a series of targeted attacks and killings of public
leaders working to promote democracy and autonomy in Lebanon
has placed a heavy toll on Lebanon's intellectual and
democratic freedoms;
Whereas the prosecution by the proposed International
Independent Investigation Commission of persons accused in
the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri could
deter future assassinations;
Whereas Pierre Gemayel was born on September 24, 1972 into
a prominent Lebanese family;
Whereas Pierre Gemayel was first elected to the Lebanese
Parliament in 2000;
Whereas Pierre Gemayel was named Minister of Industry in
the Lebanese Government in 2005;
Whereas Amine Gemayel, the father of Pierre Gemayel and
former President of Lebanon, has urged the Phalange party
supporters and all Lebanese citizens to promote cooperation
and solidarity and hamper attempts to instigate civil strife;
Whereas, on November 21, 2006, following Pierre Gemayel's
assassination, President George W. Bush stated that ``the
United States remains fully committed to supporting Lebanon's
independence and democracy in the face of attempts by Syria,
Iran, and their allies within Lebanon to foment instability
and violence'';
Whereas supporting the development of democratic
institutions in Lebanon is critical to promoting the
interests of the United States in the Middle East region,
building upon the momentum of the March 14, 2005 ``Cedar
Revolution,'' fighting terrorism, and supporting negotiations
for peace in the region; and
Whereas the House Democracy Assistance Commission has
worked in partnership with the Lebanese Parliament to
strengthen its institutional capacity, and met with Pierre
Gemayel during the Commission's delegation to Lebanon in July
2006: Now, therefore be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) Expresses its condolences for this heinous crime to the
people of Lebanon and to the members of Lebanon's Cabinet in
which Pierre Gemayel served with distinction;
(2) Affirms its support for the international tribunal to
try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri;
(3) Urges that the perpetrators of the assassination of
Pierre Gemayel be brought to justice;
(4) Conveys concern regarding the increasing polarization
of Lebanon's religious sects and calls on the Government of
Lebanon to actively pursue electoral reform as a first step
in reducing confessional tensions;
(5) Recognizes that a regional peace in the Middle East
will greatly contribute to Lebanon's long-term security and
stability; and
(6) Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to
support and promote the development of autonomous, effective
democratic institutions in Lebanon, including an independent
Parliament and a strong central government that represent and
serve the interests of the Lebanese people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lantos) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House
Resolution 1088, expressing support for Lebanon's democratic
institutions and condemning the recent assassinations of Lebanese
parliamentarian and Industry Minister Pierre Amin Gemayel.
Mr. Gemayel's brutal murder serves as yet another example of the
Syria regime's pattern of assassinations of Lebanese dissidents and
political figures who seek full Lebanese sovereignty and independence
from nefarious outside forces as Syria and Iran.
This resolution appropriately urges those responsible for Mr.
Gemayel's murder to be brought to justice and expresses condolences to
the people of Lebanon for his death.
The resolution reiterates our commitment for a fully sovereign
independent Lebanon, and calls on the Lebanese Government to implement
the necessary electoral reforms for Lebanon to achieve such autonomy,
develop its democratic institutions, and help reduce the increasing
sectarian divisions.
Mr. Gemayel's murder was a deplorable act of cowardice aimed at
undermining Lebanon's sovereignty and destroying its democratic
institutions. It should move the United Nations to once and for all
hold Syria accountable for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Responsible nations must realize that
Syria and Iran kill, destroy, and seek instability in places like
Lebanon so that they may gain yet more power and influence in the
region. We must not allow this to continue.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H8865]]
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution,
and I yield myself such time as I might consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution reflects our sorrow, our anguish, and
our resolve following the recent assassination of Lebanese Minister of
Industry, Pierre Gemayel.
I felt this loss personally. Pierre was the son of former Lebanese
President Amin Gemayel and the grandson of one of the most significant
figures of modern Lebanese history, his namesake, Pierre Gemayel, our
friends.
Mr. Speaker, it is a coincidence that we are considering this
resolution on the day when the Iraq Study Group has released its much
anticipated report. As we all know, the Iraq Study Group calls for the
United States to engage with all regional parties, including Syria and
Iran. I have been in the forefront of those urging that we engage even
with our enemies. That is why I have met repeatedly with the leaders of
Syria and North Korea, and that is why I have consistently, if
unsuccessfully, sought a visa to visit Iran, and that is why I
applauded the successful example of our engagement that resulted in
Libya's peaceful divestment of its weapons of mass destruction
materials.
As former Secretary of State James Baker said in a briefing for our
leadership this morning, the policy of isolating states like Syria, and
I quote, ``has brought us nothing.''
Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, Damascus and Tehran should not
misunderstand the intentions of those of us who support dialogue. We
are not going to stray one iota from our core commitments. There will
be no compromise on terrorism or nuclear arms, or the security of the
State of Israel or on Lebanese sovereignty and democracy, or on the
international tribunal to investigate the shameful assassinations of
Hariri, Gemayel, and other Lebanese patriots in recent years.
For those of us who support dialogue, the message of this resolution
is that dialogue does not mean capitulation. By passing this
resolution, Mr. Speaker, our body will make clear that we staunchly
oppose the sinister designs of Iran and Syria to destabilize Lebanon,
particularly through the blood-thirsty instrument of Hezbollah.
Syria will pay a heavy price if it does not cease its relentless
campaign of intimidation and destabilization in Lebanon and if it
refuses to cooperate with the Hariri investigation and the
international tribunal.
This most recent Gemayel assassination was a crime against a man and
his family, but most of all against the Lebanese nation. As our
resolution makes clear, the perpetrators must be brought to justice. We
don't know who pulled the trigger, but we have the strongest of
suspicions about who gave the orders.
The Gemayel murder is one of more than a half a dozen political
assassinations or attempted assassinations in Lebanon since the tragic
killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri along with his
compatriots last year. All the victims, Mr. Speaker, share a common
profile: They supported democracy, and they outspokenly opposed Syrian
and Iranian designs on their nation.
Mr. Speaker, I visited Lebanon just some weeks ago. I met with Prime
Minister Fuad Siniora and many of his colleagues who are members of the
March 14th Movement, which forms the core of his government. While we
did not agree about every issue regarding Lebanon and the region, this
much I can tell you: These people have made a courageous commitment to
the sovereignty of their nation. They have done so in the face of
threats to their lives and the loss of their comrades, and they are
stalwart democrats. I came away convinced that this government deserves
our strongest support.
Mr. Speaker, by adopting this resolution, we can firmly declare
support for the democratically elected Lebanese Government and for all
democratically thinking Lebanese. I urge that we do so. I urge all of
my colleagues to support our resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield
such time as he may consume to the author of this resolution, Mr.
Dreier of California.
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to the
very distinguished subcommittee chairman as well as to my friend from
California (Mr. Lantos) again, as soon-to-be chairman of the
International Relations Committee.
This resolution I am very pleased to have introduced along with my
colleague David Price with whom I serve as cochair of the House
Democracy Assistance Commission.
As I look across the aisle, I see my friend Alcee Hastings with whom
I sit on the Rules Committee, and I am reminded of the first trip that
we made to Beirut. It was a year ago this past spring, shortly after
the March 14th Movement and the Cedar Revolution began. We had the
chance to visit the widow of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and
Mr. Hastings and the rest of our delegation placed a wreath at the
grave of Rafik Hariri in Martyr Square in Beirut, a spot that has
gotten a great deal of attention on television just in the past few
weeks, very tragically. And as has been pointed out, we have seen now
the 16th assassination take place with the tragic murder of Pierre
Gemayel, and that is in the last 2 years.
Mr. Speaker, as we look at this challenge, it underscores the fact
that the United States of America must, as Mr. Lantos has just said,
reaffirm its strong commitment to the future of Lebanon.
One of the greatest challenges that the Lebanese people have faced in
its relationship with the United States of America has been the issue
of uncertainty. In 1983, when we saw the tragic bombing of the Marine
barracks, the United States of America withdrew from Lebanon. They have
gone through a quarter century of civil war, and they have great
challenges in the region. As Mr. Lantos correctly said, we don't agree
with every single policy in Lebanon, and obviously there have been real
challenges on their southern border as we know very well. But at the
same time, it is absolutely essential that we remember that this is a
reemerging democracy.
This past July, Mr. Price and I had the privilege of leading a
delegation of our Members representing the House Democracy Assistance
Commission. This is a commission that I am very proud was put together
by Speaker Dennis Hastert and soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and it
was established a year ago this past March, and the goal was to take
new and reemerging democracies and work directly with those parliaments
that have just been elected.
Now, we all have the privilege of participating in important work in
interparliamentary exchanges, the European Union, the Bundestag, the
DIAG in Japan. I have been part of the U.S.-Mexico interparliamentary
conference. But the unique thing about the House Democracy Assistance
Commission, we now have a dozen countries with which we are working
very closely on this. We have been able to take these newly elected
parliamentarians and do as Mr. Price and I and our delegation did in
Lebanon for 2 days: work with them on the building of their committee
structure, their very important oversight of the executive branch, the
building of their libraries, putting into place a budget process.
And that is exactly what we were doing this past July in Lebanon. And
we, of course, since our trip in July, have seen a very tragic time in
Lebanon. In fact, it was just days after we left that we saw Hezbollah
engage in the kidnapping of those Israeli defense forces troops in
southern Lebanon, and we all know what happened after that. And there
was a sense that a degree of stability was coming to Lebanon within the
past several weeks and the last couple of months; and then, of course,
we got the tragic news that led to Mr. Price and my authoring this very
important measure, underscoring how important it is as we look at the
tragic assassination of Minister Gemayel that we need to do all that we
can, all that we can, to make sure that Lebanon's future is a bright
one.
{time} 2000
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure. I thank
again Mr. Price and all of the Members of our Democracy Assistance
Commission for the fine work and effort that they put into this, and to
say again that we
[[Page H8866]]
are going to reaffirm with this resolution our commitment to the future
of Lebanon.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield to my
distinguished friend from North Carolina, Mr. David Price, who serves
as the ranking member of the Democracy Assistance Commission, as much
time as he may consume.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and
am proud to add my voice of commendation in support of House Resolution
1088, which I have cosponsored with the gentleman from California,
chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission.
In July, I traveled with the commission to Beirut to initiate a
partnership with the Lebanese Parliament. While there, I had an
opportunity to have lunch with Pierre Gemayel. I was struck then by his
charismatic personality and his enthusiasm over the prospects for real
reform in Lebanon.
In many ways, Pierre Gemayel represented the promise of Lebanon's
future. A strong advocate of democratic governance in Lebanon, he shook
off the constraints of confessionalism to battle side by side with
Christians, Sunni and Shia Muslims to guarantee Lebanon's sovereignty
against the persisting threat of Syrian domination.
Pierre Gemayel was named to lead the Industry Ministry in the wake of
the Cedar Revolution demonstrations of March 14, 2005 and the
subsequent national elections which brought to power a cross-sectarian
coalition of pro-democracy politicians, determined to reform the
Lebanese Government to make it strong and effective and to resist
foreign domination.
Our Nation celebrated the courage of the Lebanese people in
registering their demand for democratic government in these elections,
but we have not done enough since the elections to support the
democratic institutions and leaders like Pierre Gemayel have worked to
strengthen.
This resolution before us sends a clear signal that the United States
must do more to support these institutions if we hope to help the
Lebanese people achieve their dreams.
I thank my colleague, David Drier of California, for his strong
leadership as chairman of our House Democracy Assistance Commission.
This commission, as he has stated, has allowed Members of this body to
work colleague to colleague to strengthen the Lebanese Parliament and
other parliaments in emerging democracies. I look forward to joining
with him in the next Congress to continue this important work.
And I join my colleagues in expressing condolences to the Gemayel
family and the people of Lebanon on their tragic loss. We must also
acknowledge that Mr. Gemayel is but the latest in a succession of
leaders recently martyred in Lebanon because of their fight for
democracy, beginning with former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. We must
fight to bring justice to the perpetrators of these crimes and to bring
fulfillment to the goals these pro-democracy leaders have sought.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution and to
support efforts to strengthen democratic institutions in Lebanon.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H. Res. 1088.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those voting have responded in the affirmative.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
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