[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[April 26, 2006]
[Pages 814-815]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message to the Congress Transmitting an Executive Order Blocking 
Property of Additional Persons in Connection With the National Emergency 
With Respect to Syria
April 26, 2006

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 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

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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.

Note: The Executive order is listed in Appendix D at the end of this 
volume.