IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 510 

Supporting the findings of the United Nations International Independent 

Investigation Commission that is investigating the assassination of former 

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, condemning the Government of 

Syria for its apparent involvement in this terrorist attack, and demanding 

compliance by Syria with United Nations Security Council Resolution 

1595. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 25, 2005 

Mr. WEXLER (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. ISSA, and Mr. 

MCCOTTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the findings of the United Nations International 

Independent Investigation Commission that is investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime 

Minister Rafik Hariri, condemning the Government of 

Syria for its apparent involvement in this terrorist attack, and demanding compliance by Syria with United 

Nations Security Council Resolution 1595. 

Whereas Rafik Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in a terrorist attack on February 

14, 2005, that killed 22 others and injured more than 

100 people; 
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•HRES 510 IH 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement (February 15, 2005) condemning the 

terrorist bombing that killed former Prime Minister 

Hariri and calling on ‘‘the Lebanese Government to bring 

to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of 

this heinous terrorist act’’; 

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1595 

(April 7, 2005) established an International Independent 

Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) based in Lebanon to 

assist the Lebanese authorities in their investigation of 

all aspects of the terrorist attack that killed former 

Prime Minister Hariri; 

Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan 

notified the United Nations Security Council that the 

UNIIIC, led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, was 

declared operational on June 16, 2005; 

Whereas during the course of the investigation—from June 

16, 2005, through October 6, 2005—the UNIIIC issued 

244 witness statements, 293 investigator notes, and 22 

suspect statements, producing 16,711 pages of documents with the assistance of investigators from 17 different countries; 

Whereas the UNIIIC focused on the crime scene, analysis of 

telephone intercepts, the testimony of more than 500 witnesses and sources, and received support from the Government of Lebanon and other national and international 

entities; 

Whereas on October 19, 2005, Commissioner Mehlis presented the UNIIIC’s findings to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; 
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•HRES 510 IH 

Whereas the UNIIIC report concluded that the assassination 

of former Prime Minister Hariri was carried out by a 

group with extensive resources and capabilities, and that 

the crime had been prepared over the course of several 

months; 

Whereas the UNIIIC report concluded that the decision to 

assassinate former Prime Minister Hariri ‘‘could not have 

been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further organized 

without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security forces’’; 

Whereas the UNIIIC report established that leads in the investigation pointed directly toward senior Syrian security 

and military officials as being involved with the assassination, including the former Syrian Intelligence Chief in 

Lebanon, General Rustum Ghazali; 

Whereas the UNIIIC report found: ‘‘[T]he context of the assassination of Mr. Hariri was one of extreme political polarization and tension. Accusations and counter accusations targeting mainly Mr. Hariri over the period proceeding his assassination corroborate the Commission 

conclusion that the likely motive of the assassination was 

political.’’; 

Whereas the UNIIIC report found that ‘‘[t]he apparent growing conflict between Mr. Hariri and senior Syrian officials, including Syrian President Bashar Assad, was a 

central aspect of the information provided to the Commission through interviews and documents’’; 

Whereas the UNIIIC report found that ‘‘[a] meeting in Damascus between Mr. Hariri and President Assad on August 26, 2004 appeared to bring the conflict to a head’’ 
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•HRES 510 IH 

culminating with President Assad allegedly threatening 

Mr. Hariri if he opposed the extension of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud’s term; and 

Whereas the UNIIIC report found: ‘‘While the Syrian authorities, after initial hesitation, have cooperated to a 

limited degree with the Commission, several interviewees 

tried to mislead the investigation by giving false or inaccurate statements. The letter addressed to the Commission by the Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic 

proved to contain false information. The full picture of 

the assassination can only be reached through an extensive and credible investigation that would be conducted in 

an open and transparent manner to the full satisfaction 

of international scrutiny.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the Government of Syria for its 

3 apparent involvement in the assassination of former 

4 Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri; 

5 (2) supports the findings of the United Nations 

6 International Independent Investigation Commission 

7 (UNIIIC), led by Detlev Mehlis, which assisted the 

8 Lebanese authorities in their investigation of all as9 pects of the terrorist attack that killed former Prime 

10 Minister Hariri; 

11 (3) demands Syrian President Bashar Assad 

12 and the Government of Syria fully cooperate with 

13 international and Lebanese efforts to further inves-
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1 tigate the assassination of former Prime Minister 

2 Hariri and bring those responsible to justice; 

3 (4) supports the full implementation of United 

4 Nations Security Council Resolution 1595 (April 7, 

5 2005), which calls on all states and parties to fully 

6 cooperate with the UNIIIC and provide it with any 

7 relevant information they may possess pertaining to 

8 this terrorist attack; 

9 (5) directs the United States Permanent Rep10 resentative to the United Nations to use the voice, 

11 vote, and influence of the United States in the 

12 United Nations Security Council to demand Syrian 

13 compliance with the ongoing UNIIIC investigation 

14 under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, 

15 given evidence linking the Syrian regime to the as16 sassination of former Prime Minister Hariri and 

17 Syria’s failure to abide by the provisions of Security 

18 Council Resolution 1595; and 

19 (6) urges the Government of the United States 

20 to actively support ongoing international and Leba21 nese efforts to investigate the assassination of 

22 former Prime Minister Hariri and bring its per23 petrators to justice, including through support of the 
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1 establishment of an international tribunal, if so re2 quested by the Government of Lebanon. 

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