Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II) - Message to the Congress Reporting on the National Emergency With Respect to Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process

[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[July 21, 1998]
[Pages 1293-1294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

Message to the Congress Reporting on the National Emergency With Respect
to Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process
July 21, 1998

To the Congress of the United States:
I hereby report to the Congress on the developments concerning the
national emergency with respect to terrorists who threaten to disrupt
the Middle East peace process that was declared in Executive Order 12947
of January 23, 1995. This report is submitted pursuant to section 401(c)
of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1641(c), and section 204(c)
of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C.
1703(c).
1. On January 23, 1995, I signed Executive Order 12947,
``Prohibiting Transactions with Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the
Middle East Peace Process'' (the ``Order'') (60 Fed. Reg. 5079, January
25, 1995). The Order blocks all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in
which there is any interest of 12 terrorist organizations that threaten
the Middle East peace process as identified in an Annex to the Order.
The Order also blocks the property and interests in property subject to
U.S. jurisdiction of persons designated by the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney
General, who are found (1) to have committed, or to pose a significant
risk of committing, acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of
disrupting the Middle East peace process, or (2) to assist in, sponsor,
or provide financial, material, or technological support for, or
services in support of, such acts of violence. In addition, the Order
blocks all property and interests in property subject to U.S.
jurisdiction in which there is any interest of persons determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Secretary of State
and the Attorney General, to be owned or controlled by, or to act for or
on behalf of, any other person designated pursuant to the Order
(collectively ``Specially Designated Terrorists'' or ``SDTs'').
The Order further prohibits any transaction or dealing by a United
States person or within the United States in property or interests in
property of SDTs, including the making or receiving of any contribution
of funds, goods, or services to or for the benefit of such persons. This
prohibition includes donations that are intended to relieve human
suffering.
Designations of persons blocked pursuant to the Order are effective
upon the date of determination by the Secretary of State or her
delegate, or the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
acting under authority delegated by the Secretary of the Treasury.
Public notice of blocking is effective upon the date of filing with the
Federal Register, or upon prior actual notice.
Because terrorist activities continue to threaten the Middle East
peace process and vital interests of the United States in the Middle
East, on January 21, 1998, I continued for another year the national
emergency declared on January 23, 1995, and the measures that took
effect on January 24, 1995, to deal with that emergency. This action was
taken in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act
(50 U.S.C. 1622(d)).
2. On January 25, 1995, the Department of the Treasury issued a
notice listing persons blocked pursuant to Executive Order 12947 who
have been designated by the President as terrorist organizations
threatening the Middle East peace process or who have been found to be
owned or controlled by, or to be acting for or on behalf of, these
terrorist organizations (60 Fed. Reg. 5084, January 25, 1995). The
notice identified 31 entities that act for or on behalf of the 12 Middle
East terrorist organizations

[[Page 1294]]

listed in the Annex to Executive Order 12947, as well as 18 individuals
who are leaders or representatives of these groups. In addition, the
notice provided 9 name variations or pseudonyms used by the 18
individuals identified. The list identifies blocked persons who have
been found to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of
committing acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of
disrupting the Middle East peace process or to have assisted in,
sponsored, or provided financial, material or technological support for,
or services in support of, such acts of violence, or are owned or
controlled by, or act for or on behalf of other blocked persons. The
Department of the Treasury issued three additional notices adding the
names of three individuals, as well as their pseudonyms, to the List of
SDTs (60 Fed. Reg. 41152, August 11, 1995; 60 Fed. Reg. 44932, August
29, 1995; and 60 Fed. Reg. 58435, November 27, 1995).
3. On February 2, 1996, OFAC issued the Terrorism Sanctions
Regulations (the ``TSRs'' or the ``Regulations'') (61 Fed. Reg. 3805,
February 2, 1996). The TSRs implement the President's declaration of a
national emergency and imposition of sanctions against certain persons
whose acts of violence have the purpose or effect of disrupting the
Middle East peace process. There have been no amendments to the TSRs, 31
C.F.R. Part 595, administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of
the Department of the Treasury, since my report of January 28, 1998.
4. Since January 25, 1995, OFAC has issued six licenses pursuant to
the Regulations. These licenses authorize payment of legal expenses and
the disbursement of funds for normal expenditures for the maintenance of
family members, the employment and payment of salary and educational
expenses, payment for secure storage of tangible assets, and payment of
certain administrative transactions, to or for individuals designated
pursuant to Executive Order 12947.
5. The expenses incurred by the Federal Government in the 6-month
period from January 23 through July 22, 1998, that are directly
attributable to the exercise of powers and authorities conferred by the
declaration of the national emergency with respect to organizations that
disrupt the Middle East peace process, are estimated at approximately
$165,000. These data do not reflect certain costs of operations by the
intelligence and law enforcement communities.
6. Executive Order 12947 provides this Administration with a tool
for combating fundraising in this country on behalf of organizations
that use terror to undermine the Middle East peace process. The Order
makes it harder for such groups to finance these criminal activities by
cutting off their access to sources of support in the United States and
to U.S. financial facilities. It is also intended to reach charitable
contributions to designated organizations and individuals to preclude
diversion of such donations to terrorist activities.
Executive Order 12947 demonstrates the determination of the United
States to confront and combat those who would seek to destroy the Middle
East peace process, and our commitment to the global fight against
terrorism. I shall continue to exercise the powers at my disposal to
apply economic sanctions against extremists seeking to destroy the hopes
of peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Israelis as long as these
measures are appropriate, and will continue to report periodically to
the Congress on significant developments pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1703(c).

William J. Clinton

The White House,

July 21, 1998.