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21–305PDF 2005

RECOGNIZING THE 57TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE

OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL; URGING WITHDRAWAL OF SYRIAN

FORCES FROM LEBANON, SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN LEBANON, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; EXPRESSING

SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING MANIFESTATIONS OF

ANTI-SEMITISM BY U.N. MEMBER STATES, AND FOR OTHER

PURPOSES; AND WELCOMING THE PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN ON HIS MAY 2005 VISIT TO THE U.S., AND FOR

OTHER PURPOSES

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

H. Con. Res. 149, H. Res. 273, H. Res. 282, and

H. Con. Res. 153

MAY 18, 2005

Serial No. 109–53

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international

( —relations 

(II)

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 

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 

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 

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 

MATT ZWEIG, Professional Staff Member 

DAVID ADAMS, Democratic Professional Staff Member 

LEE COHEN, Staff Associate 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF 

H. Con. Res. 149, Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence 

of the State of Israel ............................................................................................ 2

H. Res. 273, Urging the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon, support for free and fair democratic elections in Lebanon, and the development 

of democratic institutions and safeguards to foster sovereign democratic 

rule in Lebanon .................................................................................................... 5

H. Res. 282, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 

manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations member states and 

urging action against anti-Semitism by United Nations officials, United 

Nations member states, and the Government of the United States, and 

for other purposes ................................................................................................ 9

H. Con. Res. 153, Welcoming His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President 

of Afghanistan, on the occasion of his visit to the United States in May 

2005 and expressing support for a strong and enduring strategic partnership between the United States and Afghanistan ............................................. 15

Amendments to H. Res. 273 and H. Con. Res. 149 ............................................... 21

(1)

RECOGNIZING THE 57TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL; URGING WITHDRAWAL 

OF SYRIAN FORCES FROM LEBANON, SUPPORT FOR 

DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN LEBANON, AND FOR OTHER 

PURPOSES; EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING MANIFESTATIONS OF ANTI-SEMITISM BY U.N. MEMBER 

STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; AND WELCOMING 

THE PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN ON HIS MAY 2005 VISIT 

TO THE U.S., AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 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 9:30 a.m. in room 

2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 

(Chair of the Subcommittee) presiding. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. The Subcommittee on the Middle East and 

Central Asia is now in session with Mr. Lantos, Mr. Mack, and Mr. 

Boozman present. 

Pursuant to notice, I call up the following measures for purposes 

of markup and move their recommendation to Full Committee: H. 

Con. Res. 149, Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel; H. Res. 273, Urging the withdrawal of 

Syrian forces from Lebanon, support for free and fair democratic 

elections in Lebanon, and the development of democratic institutions and safeguards to foster sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon; H. Res. 282, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations member states . . ., and for other purposes; and H. Con. Res. 

153, Welcoming His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, on the occasion of his visit to the United States in May 

2005 and expressing support for a strong and enduring strategic 

partnership between the United States and Afghanistan. 

[The resolutions referred to follow:]

2

1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 149

Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 11, 2005

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. PENCE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr.

HASTINGS of Florida, and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing the 57th anniversary of the independence of

the State of Israel.

Whereas on May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was established as a sovereign and independent nation;

Whereas the United States was one of the first nations to

recognize Israel, only 11 minutes after its creation;

Whereas Israel has provided the opportunity for Jews from

all over the world to reestablish their ancient homeland;

Whereas Israel is home to many religious sites which are sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;

Whereas Israel provided a refuge to Jews who survived the

horrors of the Holocaust and the evils committed by the

Nazis which were unprecedented in human history;


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•HCON 149 IH

Whereas the people of Israel have established a unique, pluralistic democracy which includes the freedoms cherished

by the people of the United States, including freedom of

speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of the press, and government by the consent of the

governed;

Whereas Israel continues to serve as a shining model of

democratic values by regularly holding free and fair elections, promoting the free exchange of ideas, and vigorously exercising in its Parliament, the Knesset, a democratic government that is fully representative of its citizens;

Whereas Israel has bravely defended itself from attacks repeatedly since independence;

Whereas the Government of Israel has successfully worked

with the neighboring Governments of Egypt and Jordan

to establish peaceful, bilateral relations;

Whereas, despite the deaths of over one thousand innocent

Israelis at the hands of murderous, suicide bombers and

other terrorists during the past 4 years, the people of

Israel continue to seek peace with their Palestinian

neighbors;

Whereas the United States and Israel enjoy a strategic partnership based on shared mutual democratic values,

friendship, and respect;

Whereas the people of the United States share affinity with

the people of Israel and view Israel as a strong and trusted ally;

Whereas Israel has made significant global contributions in

the fields of science, medicine, and technology; and


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•HCON 149 IH

Whereas Israel’s Independence Day on the Jewish calendar

coincides this year with May 12, 2005: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) recognizes the independence of the State of

4 Israel as a significant event in providing refuge and

5 a national homeland for the Jewish people;

6 (2) praises the efforts of President George W.

7 Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to create the

8 conditions for peace in the Middle East;

9 (3) commends the bipartisan commitment of all

10 United States administrations and United States

11 Congresses since 1948 to stand by Israel and work

12 for its security and well-being; and

13 (4) extends warm congratulations and best

14 wishes to the people of Israel as they celebrate the

15 57th anniversary of Israel’s independence.

Æ


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1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 273

Urging the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon, support for free

and fair democratic elections in Lebanon, and the development of democratic institutions and safeguards to foster sovereign democratic rule

in Lebanon.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 11, 2005

Mr. MCCOTTER (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. COX, Mr.

BURTON of Indiana, and Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International

Relations

RESOLUTION

Urging the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon,

support for free and fair democratic elections in Lebanon, and the development of democratic institutions and

safeguards to foster sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon.

Whereas the people of the Lebanese Republic have a rich,

proud, and honorable history dating from ancient times

to the present, and Lebanon has been a free and democratic nation for much of its modern history;

Whereas Lebanon and the United States have enjoyed a history of friendship and cooperation which has been witnessed by the immigration of millions of Lebanese to the


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•HRES 273 IH

United States where they and their descendants have

contributed greatly to the fabric of American life;

Whereas Syria has dominated Lebanese politics and political

leaders, resulting in a deterioration of Lebanon’s human

rights situation, the engineering of Lebanese election results to Syria’s liking, and the imposition of curbs on

Lebanon’s media, once the freest in the Arab world;

Whereas Syria has publicly withdrawn its military forces

from Lebanon, leaving behind a pro-Syrian intelligence

structure within the Lebanese intelligence agencies;

Whereas Congress conditioned the lifting of sanctions on Damascus in the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–175)

upon the Government of Syria ending its occupation of

Lebanon, including the complete withdrawal of intelligence and all other security-related personnel in Lebanon, and upon other factors;

Whereas the international community has reaffirmed its call

for the strict respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial

integrity, unity, and political independence under the sole

and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon

through the passage of United Nations Security Council

Resolution 1559 (2004);

Whereas there remains unresolved and as a matter of national and world concern the assassination of Rafiq alHariri, former Lebanese prime minister, which has justly

been condemned as a terrorist act;

Whereas the international community has begun investigations into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri and it is

the policy of the United States to urge full compliance

with the investigations;


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3

•HRES 273 IH

Whereas the international community is considering further

action to promote Lebanese sovereignty;

Whereas the emancipation of political prisoners and detainees

held in Syrian and Lebanese prisons is a requirement to

a national reconciliation and rebuilding of Lebanon’s

democratic institutions; and

Whereas general elections in Lebanon are scheduled to begin

on May 29, 2005: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) Syria should complete its withdrawal of all

4 remaining intelligence and security forces from the

5 Lebanese Republic in accordance with United Na6 tions Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004);

7 (2) Lebanon should allow unfettered access to

8 international monitors verifying compliance with

9 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559

10 (2004);

11 (3) Lebanon should hold free, fair, and trans12 parent elections to begin on May 29, 2005, in ac13 cordance with all international standards and agree14 ments;

15 (4) the United States should aid the people of

16 Lebanon in their efforts to restore the separation of

17 powers, the rule of law, and the proper respect for

18 fundamental freedoms of every citizen; and


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4

•HRES 273 IH

1 (5) it should be the policy of the United States

2 Government to—

3 (A) support free and fair elections in Leb4 anon by encouraging international election as5 sistance and observers;

6 (B) urge the development of democratic in7 stitutions and safeguards to foster sovereign

8 democratic rule in Lebanon; and

9 (C) call for the immediate release of all po10 litical prisoners and detainees held in Lebanese

11 and Syrian prisons.

Æ


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1

H.L.C.

.....................................................................

(Original Signature of Member)

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. ll Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations member states and urging

action against anti-Semitism by United Nations officials, United Nations

member states, and the Government of the United States, and for other

purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to

the Committee on lllllllllllllll

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations

member states and urging action against anti-Semitism

by United Nations officials, United Nations member

states, and the Government of the United States, and

for other purposes.

Whereas the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human

Rights recognizes that ‘‘the inherent dignity and equal

and inalienable rights of all members of the human famVerDate Mar 21 2002 10:51 Aug 26, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\MECA\051805M\21305.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

ily is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the

world’’;

Whereas United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379

(1975) concluded that ‘‘Zionism is a form of racism and

racial discrimination’’ and the General Assembly, by a

vote of 111 to 25, only revoked Resolution 3379 in 1991

in response to strong leadership by the United States and

after Israel made its participation in the Madrid Peace

Conference conditional upon repeal of the resolution;

Whereas during the 1991 session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Syrian Ambassador to the

United Nations repeated the outrageous ‘‘blood libel’’

that Jews allegedly have killed non-Jewish children to

make unleavened bread for Passover and, despite repeated interventions by the Governments of Israel and

the United States, this outrageous lie was not corrected

in the record of the Commission for many months;

Whereas in March 1997, the Palestinian observer at the

United Nations Commission on Human Rights made the

contemptible charge that the Government of Israel had

injected 300 Palestinian children with HIV (the human

immunodeficiency virus, the pathogen that causes AIDS)

despite the fact that an Egyptian newspaper had printed

a full retraction to its earlier report of the same charges,

and the President of the Commission failed to challenge

this baseless and false accusation despite the request of

the Government of Israel that he do so;

Whereas Israel was denied membership in any regional

grouping of the United Nations until the year 2000,

which prevented it from being a candidate for any elected

positions within the United Nations system until that

time, and Israel continues to be denied the opportunity


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3

H.L.C.

to hold a rotating seat on the Security Council and it is

the only member of the United Nations never to have

served on the Security Council although it has been a

member of the organization for 56 years;

Whereas Israel continues to be denied the opportunity to

serve as a member of the United Nations Commission on

Human Rights because it has never been included in a

slate of candidates submitted by a regional grouping, and

Israel is currently the only member of the Western and

Others Group in a conditional status limiting its ability

to caucus with its fellow members of this regional grouping;

Whereas the United Nations has permitted itself to be used

as a battleground for political warfare against Israel led

by Arab states and others, and 6 of the 10 emergency

sessions of the United Nations General Assembly have

been devoted to criticisms of and attacks against Israel;

Whereas the goals of the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism were undermined by hateful antiJewish rhetoric and anti-Israel political agendas, prompting both Israel and the United States to withdraw their

delegations from the Conference;

Whereas in 2004, the United Nations Secretary General acknowledged at the first United Nations-sponsored conference on anti-Semitism, that: ‘‘It is clear that we are

witnessing an alarming resurgence of this phenomenon in

new forms and manifestations. This time, the world must

not—cannot—be silent.’’;

Whereas in 2004, the United Nations General Assembly’s

Third Committee for the first time adopted a resolution

on religious tolerance that includes condemnation of antiVerDate Mar 21 2002 10:51 Aug 26, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\MECA\051805M\21305.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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Semitism and ‘‘recognized with deep concern the overall

rise in instances of intolerance and violence directed

against members of many religious communities . . . including . . . anti-Semitism . . . ’’;

Whereas in 2005, the United Nations held an unprecedented

session to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp;

Whereas democratic Israel is annually the object of nearly

two dozen redundantly critical resolutions in the United

Nations General Assembly, which rarely adopts resolutions relating to specific countries; and

Whereas the viciousness with which Israel is attacked and

discriminated against at the United Nations should not

be allowed to continue unchallenged: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) the House of Representatives—

3 (A) welcomes recent attempts by the

4 United Nations Secretary General to address

5 the issue of anti-Semitism;

6 (B) calls on the United Nations to offi7 cially and publicly condemn anti-Semitic state8 ments made at all United Nations meetings and

9 hold accountable United Nations member states

10 that make such statements; and

11 (C) strongly urges the United Nations

12 Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiza13 tion (UNESCO) to develop and implement eduVerDate Mar 21 2002 10:51 Aug 26, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\MECA\051805M\21305.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

1 cation awareness programs about the Holocaust

2 throughout the world as part of an effort to

3 combat the rise in anti-Semitism and racial, re4 ligious, and ethnic intolerance; and

5 (2) it is the sense of the House of Representa6 tives that—

7 (A) the President should direct the United

8 States Permanent Representative to the United

9 Nations to continue working toward further re10 duction of anti-Semitic language and anti-Israel

11 resolutions;

12 (B) the President should direct the Sec13 retary of State to include in the Department of

14 State’s annual Country Reports on Human

15 Rights Practices and annual Report on Inter16 national Religious Freedom information on ac17 tivities at the United Nations and its con18 stituent bodies relating to anti-Semitism by

19 each of the countries included in these reports;

20 and

21 (C) the President should direct the Sec22 retary of State to use projects funded through

23 the Middle East Partnership Initiative and

24 United States overseas broadcasts to educate

25 Arab and Muslim countries about anti-SemiVerDate Mar 21 2002 10:51 Aug 26, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\MECA\051805M\21305.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

1 tism, religious intolerance, and incitement to vi2 olence.


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1

IV

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 153

Welcoming His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, on

the occasion of his visit to the United States in May 2005 and expressing

support for a strong and enduring strategic partnership between the

United States and Afghanistan.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 16, 2005

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr.

FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey,

Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. PENCE, Mr.

MCCOTTER, and Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Welcoming His Excellency Hamid Karzai, the President of

Afghanistan, on the occasion of his visit to the United

States in May 2005 and expressing support for a strong

and enduring strategic partnership between the United

States and Afghanistan.

Whereas Afghanistan, a great nation located at the crossroads of many civilizations, has suffered the ravages of

war, foreign intervention, occupation, and oppression;

Whereas the Afghan people courageously resisted the decadelong occupation of their country by the former Soviet


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•HCON 153 IH

Union, forcing a Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and thereby

contributing to the end of the Cold War;

Whereas following the Soviet withdrawal, Afghanistan went

through a period of chaos and conflict, exacerbated by insufficient attention from the international community,

during which time the Taliban militia seized control of

much of the country and provided a base of operations

to Al Qaeda and other terrorist elements;

Whereas following the terrorist attacks of September 11,

2001, the United States launched Operation Enduring

Freedom, liberating the Afghan people from tyranny,

transforming Afghanistan from a haven for terrorists

into a strategic partner in the struggle against international terrorism, and helping Afghans build a democratic government;

Whereas the Afghan Constitution, drafted by a broadly representative Loya Jirga, or Grand Council, and enacted on

January 4, 2004, provides for equal rights for and full

participation of women, mandates full compliance with

international norms for human and civil rights, establishes procedures for free and fair elections, creates a system of checks and balances between the executive, legislative and judicial branches, encourages a free market

economy and private enterprise, and obligates the state

to prevent all types of terrorist activity and the production and trafficking of narcotics;

Whereas more than 10.5 million Afghan men and women

voted in national presidential elections in October 2004,

demonstrating commitment to democracy, courage in the

face of threats of violence, and a deep sense of civic responsibility;


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•HCON 153 IH

Whereas Hamid Karzai, formerly the interim President, was

elected to a five-year term as Afghanistan’s first democratically-elected President in the country’s history;

Whereas nationwide parliamentary elections are planned for

September 18, 2005, and further demonstrate the Afghan Government’s commitment to adhere to democratic

norms;

Whereas the Government of Afghanistan has demonstrated a

firm commitment to halting the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics and has cooperated fully with the

United States and its allies on a wide range of counternarcotics initiatives;

Whereas in addition to military and law enforcement operations, President Karzai welcomes the United States and

the international community to assist Afghanistan’s

counter-narcotics campaign by supporting programs to

provide alternative livelihoods for farmers, sustained economic development, and governmental and security capacity building;

Whereas recognizing that long-term political stability requires

sustained economic security, Afghanistan is striving to

create an economic base to provide meaningful livelihoods

for all of its people, and the United States has a cooperative interest in helping Afghanistan achieve this goal;

Whereas section 101(1) of the Afghanistan Freedom Support

Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7511(1)) declares that the

‘‘United States and the international community should

support efforts that advance the development of democratic civil authorities and institutions in Afghanistan

and the establishment of a new broad-based, multi-ethnic,


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•HCON 153 IH

gender-sensitive, and fully representative government in

Afghanistan’’;

Whereas on June 15, 2004, during President Karzai’s visit

to the United States, President George W. Bush stated:

‘‘Afghanistan’s journey to democracy and peace deserves

the support and respect of every nation. . . . The world

and the United States stand with [the people of Afghanistan] as partners in their quest for peace and prosperity

and stability and democracy.’’;

Whereas on June 15, 2004, in his address to a joint meeting

of Congress, President Karzai stated: ‘‘We must build a

partnership that will consolidate our achievements and

enhance stability, prosperity and democracy in Afghanistan and in the region. This requires sustaining and accelerating the reconstruction of Afghanistan, through

long-term commitment. . . . We must enhance our strategic partnership. The security of our two nations are

intertwined.’’;

Whereas on April 13, 2005, while receiving the visiting

United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld,

President Karzai, in expressing the desire of the Afghan

people for a long-term strategic partnership with the

United States, stated: ‘‘They want this relationship to be

a wholesome one, including a sustained economic relationship, a political relationship, and most important of

all, a strategic security relationship that would enable Afghanistan to defend itself, to continue to prosper, to stop

interferences, the possibility of interferences in Afghanistan.’’; and

Whereas the people of the United States, and their elected

representatives, are honored to welcome President Karzai

back to the United States in May 2005 on a visit that


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•HCON 153 IH

will further advance the close partnership between the

United States and Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That—

3 (1) Congress welcomes the first democratically4 elected President of Afghanistan, His Excellency

5 Hamid Karzai, as an honored guest and valued

6 friend upon his visit to the United States in May

7 2005; and

8 (2) it is the sense of Congress that—

9 (A) a democratic, stable, and prosperous

10 Afghanistan is a vital security interest of the

11 United States; and

12 (B) a strong and enduring strategic part13 nership between the United States and Afghani14 stan should continue to be a primary objective

15 of both countries to advance a shared vision of

16 peace, freedom, security, and broad-based eco17 nomic development between the two countries

18 and throughout the world.

Æ


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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. It is the intention of the Chair to ask unanimous consent to consider the measures en bloc, and that the resolutions and the amendments which the Members have before them 

be considered as read. All Members are given lead to insert their 

prepared remarks into the record. 

[The amendments referred to follow:]

21

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

TO H. RES. 273

OFFERED BY MS. ROS-LEHTINEN

Strike the preamble and insert the following:

Whereas the people of the Lebanese Republic have a rich,

proud, and honorable history dating from ancient times

to the present;

Whereas Lebanon and the United States have enjoyed a history of friendship and cooperation which has been

marked by the immigration of many Lebanese to the

United States where they and their descendants have

contributed greatly to the fabric of American life;

Whereas Syria has dominated the Lebanese political scene,

resulting in a deterioration of Lebanon’s human rights

situation, the manipulation of Lebanese election results

to meet Syria’s requirements, and the imposition of curbs

on Lebanon’s media, once the freest in the Arab world;

Whereas Syria has publicly withdrawn its military forces

from Lebanon, leaving behind, however, an intelligence

structure;

Whereas Congress conditioned the lifting of sanctions on Damascus in the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–175)

upon the Government of Syria ending its occupation of

Lebanon (including the complete withdrawal of intelligence and all other security-related personnel in Lebanon) and upon other factors;

Whereas the international community has, through the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559


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2

H.L.C.

(2004), reaffirmed its call for the strict respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence under the sole and exclusive authority

of the Government of Lebanon;

Whereas there remains unresolved and as a matter of national and world concern the assassination of Rafiq alHariri, former Lebanese prime minister, which has justly

been condemned as a terrorist act;

Whereas the international community has begun investigations into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri and it is

the policy of the United States to urge full cooperation

with the investigations;

Whereas the international community is considering further

action to promote Lebanese sovereignty;

Whereas the emancipation of political prisoners and detainees

held in Syrian and Lebanese prisons is a precondition for

national reconciliation and a rebuilding of Lebanon’s

democratic institutions; and

Whereas general elections in Lebanon are scheduled to begin

on May 29, 2005: Now, therefore, be it

Strike all after the resolving clause and insert

the following:

1 That it is the sense of the House of Representatives

2 that—

3 (1) Syria should complete its withdrawal of all

4 remaining intelligence and security forces from the

5 Lebanese Republic in accordance with United Na6 tions Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004);


21305e.AAC
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3

H.L.C.

1 (2) Lebanon should allow unfettered access to

2 international monitors present for the purpose of

3 verifying compliance with United Nations Security

4 Council Resolution 1559 (2004);

5 (3) Lebanon should hold free, fair, and trans6 parent elections to begin on May 29, 2005, in ac7 cordance with all international standards and agree8 ments;

9 (4) the United States should aid the people of

10 Lebanon in their efforts to restore the separation of

11 powers, the rule of law, and a proper respect for

12 fundamental freedoms of every citizen; and

13 (5) it should be the policy of the United States

14 Government to—

15 (A) support free and fair elections in Leb16 anon by encouraging international election as17 sistance and observers;

18 (B) support a national dialogue that tran19 scends sectarian divisions and urge the develop20 ment of democratic institutions and safeguards

21 to foster sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon;

22 and

23 (C) call for the immediate release of all po24 litical prisoners and detainees held in Lebanese

25 and Syrian prisons.


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4

H.L.C.

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Resolution recognizing the courageous efforts of the people of Lebanon to restore their independence and urging the

withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon, the

support for free and fair democratic elections in

Lebanon, and the development of democratic institutions and safeguards to foster sovereign democratic

rule in Lebanon.’’.


21305e.AAE
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1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT TO H. CON. RES. 149

OFFERED BY Ml. llllll

In the first clause of the preamble, strike ‘‘on May

14, 1948,’’ and insert ‘‘in May 1948’’.

In the 12th clause of the preamble, add ‘‘and’’ at

the end after the semicolon.

In the 13th clause of the preamble, strike ‘‘; and’’

and insert ‘‘: Now, therefore, be it’’.

Strike the 14th clause of the preamble.


21305f.AAB
26

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Lantos. 

Mr. LANTOS. Madam Chair, we have no objections; and we 

strongly support the resolutions. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Lantos. 

If there is no further discussion, without objection, all the measures on the agenda for today’s markup will be reported favorably 

to the Full Committee, and the amendments which the Members 

have before them will be considered as adopted. 

The Subcommittee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 9:33 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

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