SPEAKERS       CONTENTS       INSERTS    

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93–659PDF
2004
CONCERN REGARDING THE REPRESSION OF THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE IRANIAN BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN; CONCERN REGARDING THE GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE SYRIAN PEOPLE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; SUPPORT OF FULL MEMBERSHIP OF ISRAEL IN THE WEOG AT THE U.N.; AND SUPPORT FOR THE ACCESSION OF ISRAEL TO THE OECD

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST
AND CENTRAL ASIA

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

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ON
H. Con. Res. 319, H. Con. Res. 363,

H. Res. 615 and H. Res. 617

MAY 12, 2004

Serial No. 108–104

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
DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey,
  Vice Chairman
DAN BURTON, Indiana
ELTON GALLEGLY, California
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida
CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina
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DANA ROHRABACHER, California
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California
PETER T. KING, New York
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
AMO HOUGHTON, New York
JOHN M. McHUGH, New York
ROY BLUNT, Missouri
THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado
RON PAUL, Texas
NICK SMITH, Michigan
JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania
JEFF FLAKE, Arizona
JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia
MARK GREEN, Wisconsin
JERRY WELLER, Illinois
MIKE PENCE, Indiana
THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan
KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida

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
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SHERROD BROWN, Ohio
BRAD SHERMAN, California
ROBERT WEXLER, Florida
ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts
GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
BARBARA LEE, California
JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York
JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania
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

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, Chairwoman

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
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JOHN M. McHUGH, New York
NICK SMITH, Michigan
JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia
MIKE PENCE, Indiana
THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan
ROY BLUNT, Missouri
JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania
KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York
HOWARD L. BERMAN, California
ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York
JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania
SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada
ADAM B. SCHIFF, California
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky

YLEEM POBLETE, Subcommittee Staff Director
GREGG RICKMAN, Senior Professional Staff Member
DAVID ADAMS, Democratic Professional Staff Member
MATT ZWEIG, Staff Associate

C O N T E N T S

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MARKUP OF

    H. Con. Res. 319, Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the continuing repression of the religious freedom and human rights of the Iranian Bahá'í community by the Government of Iran

Amendment to H. Con. Res. 319 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia

    H. Con. Res. 363, Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the continuing gross violations of human rights and civil liberties of the Syrian people by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H. Con. Res. 363 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

    H. Res. 615, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of full membership of Israel in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) at the United Nations

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H. Res. 615 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

    H. Res. 617, Expressing support for the accession of Israel to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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Amendment to H. Res. 617 offered by the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

CONCERN REGARDING THE REPRESSION OF THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE IRANIAN BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN; CONCERN REGARDING THE GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE SYRIAN PEOPLE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC; SUPPORT OF FULL MEMBERSHIP OF ISRAEL IN THE WEOG AT THE U.N.; AND SUPPORT FOR THE ACCESSION OF ISRAEL TO THE OECD

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2004

House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on the Middle East
and Central Asia,
Committee on International Relations,
Washington, DC.

    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2 o'clock p.m. in Room 2200, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Joseph R. Pitts presiding.

    Mr. PITTS. The Subcommittee will come to order. We are convening to mark up the following resolutions: H. Con. Res. 319, expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the continuing repression of the religious freedom and human rights of the Iranian Bahá'í community by the Government of Iran; H. Con. Res. 363, expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the continuing gross violations of human rights and civil liberties of the Syrian people by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic; H. Res. 615, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of full membership of Israel in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) at the United Nations; and H. Res. 617, expressing support for the accession of Israel to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
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    It is my understanding that these resolutions are completely noncontroversial. Accordingly, we will consider them en bloc. Without objection, the four resolutions will be favorably reported to the Full Committee, and the amendments which the Members have before them will be deemed adopted. Any Member may insert a statement in the record.

    [The resolutions and amendments referred to follow:]

      
      
  
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    Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman.

    Mr. PITTS. The gentleman, Mr. Ackerman.

    Mr. ACKERMAN. Reserving the right to object.

    Mr. PITTS. Reserving the right to object, the gentleman is recognized.

    Mr. ACKERMAN. And I certainly will not object. I thank you for chairing today's session, Mr. Chairman. I want to particularly commend the Chair of the Subcommittee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for bringing these resolutions before us today. She has long been a champion for human rights around the globe, and today's resolutions regarding human rights in Syria and concerning the repression of the Bahá'í in Iran continue her good works in that regard.

    Additionally, I am pleased to see the resolutions regarding Israel's participation in the Western European and Others Group at the U.N. and supporting Israel's ascension to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. I think it is important for the Congress to speak out in support of Israel's participation in international organizations, and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen has been a leader in that regard as well. I thank her, and I thank you, Mr. Chair, and I urge our colleagues to support the resolutions, and I withdraw my reservation.
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    Mr. CROWLEY. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Chairman.

    Mr. PITTS. The gentleman is recognized on his reservation.

    Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Chairman, let me also add, I am certainly not going to object at all to these resolutions going forward. I just want to express my gratitude to the Chair and the Ranking Member for moving these resolutions forward, in particular, the resolution with regard to Israel's participation in WEOG, also known as the Western European and Others Group within the United Nations, is an issue that I have been working on for quite some time, and I congratulate Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for her leadership on this issue. It is also representative of the fact that I am on all of these resolutions, and I strongly support them, as well as H. Res. 617, expressing support for the accession of Israel to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an issue, again, that I have been working on for quite some time. But all of these resolutions, I think, are laudable and deserve unanimous support, and with that I withdraw my right to object.

    Mr. PITTS. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The gentleman from California, Mr. Schiff, is recognized.

    Mr. SCHIFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I also want to thank the Chair of the Subcommittee for her leadership on these issues and join in my support of them. The Syria Accountability Act, I think, was a very important step, but H. Con. Res. 363 goes further, acknowledging the very significant and poor human rights record in Syria. I think, is very important, and it is regrettable that we have not seen more progress by Bashar Assad, notwithstanding high expectations in the beginning of his rule of that country.
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    I also want to reiterate my own condemnation of the persecution of the Iranian Bahá'í, something Congress has spoken out on many times, and I am proud to be a co-sponsor of that resolution.

    Finally, on the two resolutions affecting Israel's membership in WEOG and OECD, the exclusion from these organizations, I think, is a terrible injustice to the State of Israel and the people of Israel. I have long condemned the discriminatory treatment of Israel at the United Nations, and Israel's exclusion from its own regional bloc is really unprecedented and unfortunately yet another manifestation of deep hostility to Israel's mere existence by many nations in the world. So Israel's membership in WEOG and its participation and membership in OECD, I think, are critical. I support them completely. I thank the Chairman and yield back the balance of my time.

    Mr. PITTS. The Chair thanks the gentleman. Do any other Members seek recognition?

    [No response.]

    Mr. PITTS. If not, without objection, the resolutions are favorably reported as amended. The Subcommittee stands adjourned.

    [Whereupon, at 2:05 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]