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EXPRESSING THE GRAVE CONCERN OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE CONTINUING GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE SYRIAN AND LEBANESE PEOPLE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; AND EXPRESSING THE GRAVE CONCERN OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE OCCUPATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON BY THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST
AND CENTRAL ASIA
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
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H. Con. Res. 18 and H. Con. Res. 32
MARCH 2, 2005
Serial No. 109–37
Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman
JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey,
Vice Chairman
DAN BURTON, Indiana
ELTON GALLEGLY, California
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida
DANA ROHRABACHER, California
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California
PETER T. KING, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado
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RON PAUL, Texas
DARRELL ISSA, California
JEFF FLAKE, Arizona
JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia
MARK GREEN, Wisconsin
JERRY WELLER, Illinois
MIKE PENCE, Indiana
THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan
KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida
JOE WILSON, South Carolina
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina
CONNIE MACK, Florida
JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
MICHAEL McCAUL, Texas
TED POE, Texas
TOM LANTOS, California
HOWARD L. BERMAN, California
GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York
ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American Samoa
DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio
BRAD SHERMAN, California
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ROBERT WEXLER, Florida
ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts
GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
BARBARA LEE, California
JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York
EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon
SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada
GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California
ADAM B. SCHIFF, California
DIANE E. WATSON, California
ADAM SMITH, Washington
BETTY McCOLLUM, Minnesota
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky
DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California
THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel
ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director
Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida, Chair
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio, Vice Chair
THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan
JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
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CONNIE MACK, Florida
JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia
MIKE PENCE, Indiana
KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida
DARRELL ISSA, California
GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York
HOWARD L. BERMAN, California
ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York
SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada
ADAM B. SCHIFF, California
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky
DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California
YLEEM POBLETE, Subcommittee Staff Director
DAVID ADAMS, Democratic Professional Staff Member
MATT ZWEIG, Staff Associate
C O N T E N T S
MARKUP OF
H. Con. Res. 18, Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the continuing gross violations of human rights and civil liberties of the Syrian and Lebanese people by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic
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Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Con. Res. 18 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida, and Chair, Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
H. Con. Res. 32, Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the occupation of the Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Con. Res. 32 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
EXPRESSING THE GRAVE CONCERN OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE CONTINUING GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE SYRIAN AND LEBANESE PEOPLE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; AND EXPRESSING THE GRAVE CONCERN OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE OCCUPATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON BY THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2005
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on the Middle East
and Central Asia,
Committee on International Relations,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 1:17 p.m., in room 2255, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Chair of the Subcommittee) presiding.
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. We are convening to mark up the following resolutions, and I thank the wonderful Subcommittee Members. You guys are so patient with me. House Concurrent Resolution 18, Expressing the great concerns of Congress regarding the continuing gross violations of human rights and civil liberties of the Syrian and Lebanese people by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic; and House Concurrent Resolution 32, Expressing the grave concerns of Congress regarding the occupation of the Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic.
Since these two resolutions are interrelated, I will discuss both at this point and ask my colleagues to give their opening remarks on both items now as well prior to my calling them up formally for the markup.
[H. Con. Res. 18 and H. Con. Res. 32 follow:]
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. The two resolutions come amidst developments with respect to both countries that will have a profound impact on the current situation in the Middle East. These two measures seek to place the United States in a supportive role, one that sides with the people of Syria and Lebanon who are struggling to free themselves from the same oppressor, the terrorist regime in Damascus.
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The first resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 18, addresses the gross violations of human rights committed by the Syrian regime. The regime not only supports and facilitates terrorist attacks against innocent civilians throughout the world, but also engages in a widespread campaign of terror against its own people.
According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the Department of State on Monday of this week, the Government of Syria continues to commit numerous serious abuses and remains with a poor record on human rights. Any activity by human rights activists and organizations are stifled and activists are sentenced to lengthy prison terms, tortured, or forced into exile only to be harassed and intimidated in exile as well.
Domestic human rights groups cannot exist legally. According to the recent World Report by Human Rights Watch, the dictatorship of Syria strictly limits freedom of expression, association, and assembly, and treats ethnic minority Kurds as second-class citizens.
The Government has a long record of arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, and prolonged detention of suspects and grossly unfair trials. Women face discrimination and they have little means of redress when they become victims of rape or domestic violence.
However, Syria's deplorable human rights record is not limited to its immediate borders. The repressive apparatus also extends into neighboring Lebanon, which has been a captive nation for 25 years. Hundreds of free-thinking Lebanese civilians are believed to have been killed or ''disappeared'' by Syrian occupation forces throughout the years.
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H. Con. Res. 32 designates Lebanon as a captive nation and supports the people of Lebanon in their struggle to restore their nation's sovereignty. For too long, Lebanon has been denied its independence by the regime in Damascus, a regime which has imposed its will upon the Lebanese people through electoral intimidation, political persecution, assassination of opposition leaders, and brutal military force.
Those who have observed the history of Lebanon see through Syria's facade and realize that the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri is a clear attempt by Syria to intimidate the Lebanese opposition and those who publicly oppose the continued Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
This continued occupation is in contravention of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, most recently UNSCR 1559, as well as United States laws such as the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which I was proud to co-author with Congressman Eliot Engel.
The protests which have followed the Valentine's Day bombing in Beirut have been a cry for help, as well as an immediate demand from a united and diverse Lebanese opposition for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and for the Lebanese Government accomplices to resign.
As we saw on Monday of this week, the latter demand has begun to be fulfilled. The streets of Beirut have been filled for weeks with tens of thousands of Muslims, Druze, and Christians whose anger and grief over the brutal tactics of the Syrian occupiers and their Lebanese collaborators have galvanized them into action into a coordinated effort to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty.
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House Concurrent Resolution 32 calls for the President to instruct the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to present and secure support for a Security Council resolution classifying Lebanon as a captive nation. It calls for the President, pursuant to existing law, to freeze all assets in the United States belonging to Lebanese Government officials who are found to be in support of and aiding Syria's occupation of Lebanon.
And finally, it calls for the United States' policy to include support for independent human rights and pro-democracy advocates in Lebanon and the full restoration of sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon.
More needs to be done to support and assist the Syrian and Lebanese people in their struggle to free themselves from the shackles of Syrian tyranny. House Concurrent Resolution 32, which designates Lebanon as a captive nation and House Concurrent Resolution 18, relating to the Syrian regime's deplorable record of oppression, both in Lebanon and at home, begins to address the issues that strike at the core of the Lebanese people's cry for help.
The resolutions are noncontroversial. The amendments in the nature of a substitute are minor edits and additions to update the resolution to reflect recent developments in both countries. And I want to thank my Ranking Member, Mr. Ackerman, for his input and cooperation for both of these items.
Accordingly we will consider them en bloc. And without objection, the two resolutions will be favorably reported to the Full Committee and the amendments which the Members have before them will be deemed adopted.
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[The en bloc resolutions referred to follow:]
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to have the Members give their opening remarks at this time, starting with my good friend, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Ackerman.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Chair, thank you very much for scheduling today's markup of both of these very, very timely and appropriate resolutions. I want to thank both you and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Engel, for your work in introducing these resolutions.
Taken together, these resolutions send a clear message to Syria regarding what the Congress expects in terms of Syria's role in Lebanon and regarding the freedom of Syrians themselves.
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Madam Chair, in the 2 weeks since former Prime Minister Hariri's assassination, a man who many of us in this room knew well, the world has watched as the Lebanese people have risen up and taken control of their own fate. By forcing the resignation of the pro-Syrian Government, the Lebanese people have demonstrated clearly that they will no longer labor under the yoke of Syrian oppression.
It is time, Madam Chair, for the Lebanese people to be free and for Syria to end its domination and exploitation of Lebanon. That means that Syria must immediately withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon, completely, and immediately. Moving a few thousand troops from Beirut to the Bekaa will not suffice. Syria must also withdraw all of its intelligence operatives.
Lebanese politics should no longer be distorted by the heavy hand of Syrian manipulation. The Parliamentary elections this summer must be free and fair, and the United States and the international community should do all that we can to ensure that they are.
Syria must also stop supporting Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and all the other terrorist groups that call Damascus home. Just closing their offices won't work this time.
But it is not just in Lebanon where Syria has work to do. As the most recent State Department Human Rights Report points out, the Syrian Government continues to abuse its own citizens and restrict the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights. The list of Syria's human rights violations is long and speaks to the brutality of an authoritarian regime determined to do anything to stifle even modest dissent.
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Madam Chairman, these resolutions before us today give the Congress an opportunity to speak clearly and loudly on events in Lebanon and on Syria's human rights abuses, and I congratulate you for introducing the resolutions with Mr. Engel and urge full support by the subcommittee.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. Ackerman.
Mr. Chabot, the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee.
Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Madam Chairman, I will be very brief. I appreciate your offering these resolutions. I also complement Mr. Ackerman for his involvement in making this happen.
It is long overdue time for Syria to get out of Lebanon. The people of Lebanon ought to pick their own leadership, just as is happening now in Iraq, just as has happened recently in Afghanistan, just as has happened recently in the Ukraine. The Palestinians are now deciding on new leadership. And in Egypt, Mubarak just announced this week that there will be other candidates in that race.
Only time will tell how open and honest those elections are, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. And something is happening in that part of the world, and I think there is reason for the first time in a long time to be optimistic. And only time will tell what is in Lebanon but things seem to be looking up there as well.
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. Chabot. And speaking of Egypt, we are happy to have Mr. Schiff here because he has sponsored a resolution, very important, but on reform needed in Egypt and the recent arrest of individuals there that have actually caused Secretary Rice to call off her pending visit.
Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Chairman, I want to thank you for your work on the Egypt resolution and your work on the resolutions before us today.
I had a chance to visit Lebanon for the first time about 3 years ago, and I was really struck at the level of redevelopment that was already occurring in Beirut. I went there with an expectation of finding a very different Beirut than I found, where nightlife had already returned, where many of the business districts looked much like those out in California in some of the nicer parts of Beverly Hills.
The work that Mr. Hariri did was remarkable and his assassination is a terrible tragedy. It may be that in his death he is able to accomplish what he could not in his life, and that is the ejection of Syrian troops out of Lebanon. It was my impression then and it remains my impression now that Lebanon is incredibly well-poised to take off politically, economically, and otherwise if Syria takes its troops out of Lebanon, ends its interference in the internal politics of Lebanon, and there is some stability in the Middle East.
We see now very encouraging prospects of stability between Israel and the Palestinians. And with this movement to eject Syria from Lebanon, I think we have enormous potential for Lebanon's future, and I think it is incredibly encouraging to see those demonstrations taking place in Lebanon right now.
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The death, the assassination, the killing of Mr. Hariri has done what nothing else has been able to achieve. It has brought together Sunnis and Christians and Druze, all united in the same goal, and that is getting Syria the heck out of Lebanon.
So I join you, Madam Chair, our Ranking Member, Mr. Ackerman, in supporting these resolutions. I think that time has come for Syria to get out, and I hope to join my colleagues in sending a message to those that are demonstrating in the streets that we are with them and we support them and we will continue the pressure until Syria gets out.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. Schiff. Thank you so much.
Mr. McCotter?
Mr. MCCOTTER. Thank you, Madam Chair. I am glad to be a part of this. What I am seeing on TV and what we are hearing about is similar to what we saw in the late 1980s and 1990s when freedom fought off the Communist yoke in Eastern Europe. As we harken back, I think it is important to realize that this is the start of a long process. There is going to have to be continued monitoring and continued support from the United States and all of the nations who support freedom throughout the world.
And I think as Winston Churchill once said: ''It is not the end, it is not the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps the end of the beginning.'' And as this process continues, we must realize that with the transformation change that is taking place across the Middle East and across the world, is that there must also be a transactional benefit linking the move to democracy with the concepts of security, with the concepts of prosperity, with the concept that somehow freedom is not an abstract idea but somehow it has tangible, palpable meaning to the improvement of their way of life and their standard of living, to the perpetuation of hope for themselves and their loved ones. This is a step in the right direction, and I am happy to support it.
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chandler, happy to have you say a few words.
Mr. CHANDLER. Thank you, Madam Chair, Mr. Ranking Member. I am going to be very brief. You hear that often, but this time I think it really is true. We will see.
I want to also congratulate all of those involved in putting these resolutions together. I am happy to be a cosponsor of them. I think this is clearly the right thing to do and I am in great hope that the late former Prime Minister Hariri's death will not be in vain. Thank you and may we continue forward with this same approach.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you.
Mr. Boozman.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Again I would echo what has been said and I appreciate the work on the issue and look forward to voting for it.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much. Shelley Berkley, always a pleasure. Thank you, Shelley, for being here.
Ms. BERKLEY. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Ranking Member Ackerman, for doing this. Let me just say it is about time. I am sorry that it took an assassination to provoke action. I listened to some of our colleagues in the House talking about—urging patience and saying we are making headway with the Syrians and any number of Members of Congress will sit down with the Syrian President and emerge thinking that they have actually made headway with this man, which is an impossibility to do.
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So while I loved what Mr. McCotter said about—and I reference all of his comments, but my fear is that the stability that we are beginning to see a possibility of, and a coming together between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and the possibility that we may finally bring peace to a very troubled region; if there is one country that I can point to that would be the fly in the ointment and is doing everything they can to undermine any potential for peace, any potential for stability, that would be Syria. And the sooner this Congress acts and makes our thoughts known to the Syrian Government, the better off everybody will be, particularly those in the region that are longing for peace.
And in conclusion I would also like to once again thank Mr. Engel, who was light-years ahead of the rest of us when it came to focusing on Syria and sharing with the rest us the facts on the ground and the serious problem that this Syrian Government created. And I thank you very much and I yield back all the rest of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Shelley, thank you.
Mr. Cardoza.
Mr. CARDOZA. Thank you, Madam Chair. It is an honor to be on this Subcommittee and to serve, and I associate myself with all the comments that have gone previously, particularly yours. I would just only add that it is like a bully in a schoolyard, that it is appropriate to expel them when they act up and this is exactly the right course of action to be taken.
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Issa, do you have any opening remarks on the resolutions?
Mr. ISSA. Only that I will have some changes and amendments. I apologize I wasn't here for the unanimous consent.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you. And now the visionary who saw the Syria problem before so many saw it. Thank you, Eliot Engel, for being with us and please, I love to recognize you for your remarks.
Mr. ENGEL. Thank you, Madam Chair, for the compliments. You have been my partner all the way through on this and I thank you for your vision and for your partnership in this. I want to also thank Mr. Ackerman, who has always played a very important role as the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee, and I want to thank Shelley Berkley for her very kind words.
Several years ago when we were putting together a bill in Congress called ILSA, the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, I inquired as to why Syria was not in that bill and was told that there were delicate negotiations between the House and the Senate and if I attempted to put in an amendment it would disrupt the bill, and I was told to put in my own bill.
So we sat down and drafted the bill known as the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act. It was important that we include the Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act because Lebanon, for all intents and purposes, is an occupied and captive nation, the only Charter Member of the United Nations that is under occupation, and it has been a captive nation for more than two decades.
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This resolution puts the Congress on record with the people of Lebanon as we witness their Cedar Revolution, very similar to the Orange Revolution that we saw in the Ukraine and very similar to the captive nations of Eastern Europe when they overthrew the yoke of oppression. It shows that people can rise up and make changes and if the United States Congress is solidly behind that, it does have impact and weight, and that is why it is important that we do this today.
I also want to point out that U.N. Resolution 1559 clearly calls and demands that Syria get out of Lebanon, and we did that resolution cosponsored in the United Nations Security Council with, of all countries, France. There is no difference of opinion between the United States and France in terms of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
And we could go on and on. This is an important resolution, again, because it puts us totally on record as supporting the removal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and calling Lebanon a captive nation. So I thank you and I thank everyone on the Committee for supporting us, and I think that the work we do here with regard to Lebanon is very important. And one day, Madam Chair, we are going to, as some of my Lebanese-American friends have said to me, some day we are going to walk into a free Lebanon, a free Beirut with them, and all of us will know that we have made a collective difference in their lives.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. That sounds great, and maybe Eliot would be the Ambassador.
Mr. ENGEL. There are several who would like to exile me.
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. As I stated previously, House Concurrent Resolution 32 and House Concurrent Resolution 18 will be reported favorably to the Full Committee, as amended, and the titles are amended.
And before adjournment, I just want to make some closing remarks, and echoing what my colleagues have said. Let today's markup serve to send a clear message to the Syrian regime that the United States Congress is watching to help ensure the safety and the welfare of the brave Lebanese demonstrators and all of the Lebanese people. Let it send a message to the Syrian regime and mainly to the Syrian people and to the Lebanese people that we stand with them. We are divorcing the Government from the people. We stand with the Lebanese and the Syrian people as they seek to reclaim their rights.
And in that vein, I will be introducing tomorrow the Lebanon and Syria Liberation Act to increase pressure on Syria and provide assistance to pro-democracy advocates in both nations, and I thank my wonderful Subcommittee Members for being here and for always participating. Thank you, my fellow Floridian, Congressman Mack.
And I wanted to announce to the Subcommittee that our former Member from Florida, Tillie Fowler, passed away this morning and we will have the funeral services for her at 1 o'clock. She had a brain hemorrhage at her Jacksonville home and her husband found her there, and she just passed away at 10:30. She was just with us 2 weeks ago.
The Subcommittee is adjourned on that sad note.
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[Whereupon, at 1:40 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]