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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 435 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 435

Expressing concern relating to the threatening behavior of the Iranian 
   regime and its leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the activities of 
   terrorist organizations sponsored by that regime in Latin America.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2007

Mr. Klein of Florida (for himself, Mr. Mack, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
  McCaul of Texas, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Boustany, Mr. 
Lantos, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Cantor, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. 
   Carnahan, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Watson, Mr. 
 Israel, Mr. Berman, Mr. Sires, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Fossella, Ms. Bean, Mr. 
Fortuno, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mrs. Bono, Mr. Barrett 
of South Carolina, Mr. Pence, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mrs. Jo Ann 
Davis of Virginia, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Carney, 
and Mrs. Myrick) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Expressing concern relating to the threatening behavior of the Iranian 
   regime and its leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the activities of 
   terrorist organizations sponsored by that regime in Latin America.

Whereas the Department of State has said that Iran is the ``most active state 
        sponsor of terrorism'';
Whereas the Department of State 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy 
        Report moved Iran to a ``Jurisdiction of Primary Concern'';
Whereas in February 2006, the chairman of the Iranian legislative body announced 
        plans to assist Venezuela with its nuclear program;
Whereas in February 2006, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria were the only 3 member 
        nations of the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency 
        to vote against referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council 
        for its nuclear program;
Whereas in January 2007, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, made his 
        second visit to Central and South America in 5 months to meet with Hugo 
        Chavez, president of Venezuela, to visit Daniel Ortega, president of 
        Nicaragua, and to attend the inauguration of Rafael Correa, president of 
        Ecuador;
Whereas in February 2007, Mr. Ahmadinejad hosted Iran's first day-long 
        conference on Latin America and the conference was attended by 
        parliamentarians from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil, 
        Uruguay, Italy, and the Russian Federation;
Whereas at the Iranian conference on Latin America, Iran announced that it would 
        reopen embassies in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Uruguay and 
        send a representative to Bolivia;
Whereas routine civilian airline flights have been established from Tehran, Iran 
        directly into Caracas, Venezuela, and the Government of Venezuela has 
        been found to be indiscriminate in the issuance of Venezuelan passports 
        and other identifying documents that could help terrorists and other 
        criminal elements enter the United States with these documents;
Whereas Mr. Ahmadinejad and Mr. Chavez have announced plans for a $2,000,000,000 
        shared fund to invest in projects in countries seeking to ``liberate 
        themselves from the U.S. imperialist yoke'';
Whereas Iran's proxy terrorist group, Hizbollah, executed the deadliest 
        terrorist attack against Americans abroad since World War II, the 1983 
        suicide bombing of a United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, 
        that killed 241 American servicemen;
Whereas Iran and Hizbollah were involved in the two deadliest terrorist attacks 
        in Argentina: the March 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos 
        Aires, Argentina and the July 1994 attack against the Argentine-Israeli 
        Mutual Association (AMIA);
Whereas the Government of Argentina is currently seeking legal action against 
        the perpetrators of the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack, and INTERPOL has 
        issued arrest warrants for several former Iranian officials and a 
        Hizbollah leader in connection with the attack;
Whereas the 2006 State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism stated that 
        Venezuela is ``not fully cooperating'' with United States antiterrorism 
        efforts;
Whereas the relationship of the Government of Venezuela with its Jewish 
        community is at its ``worst in 40 years'', according to Venezuela's 
        chief rabbi, with increasing instances of graffiti on local synagogues, 
        and more frequent anti-Semitic cartoons and statements in the media, 
        none of which the Government of Venezuela denounced;
Whereas on October 23, 2006, the police in Caracas, Venezuela found two 
        explosive devices near the United States Embassy, one of which was in a 
        box that contained brochures referencing Hizbollah;
Whereas in October 2006, Teodoro Darnott, leader of an organization in Venezuela 
        that calls itself ``Hizbollah Latin America,'' announced that 2007 would 
        be the beginning of the ``Jihad in America'';
Whereas according to a Naval War College report, Hizbollah raises an estimated 
        $10,000,000 each year in the tri-border region of South America where 
        Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet;
Whereas in 2004, the United States Southern Command, which is responsible for 
        providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for 
        Central and South America, estimated that Islamist terrorist groups 
        raise between $300,000,000 and $500,000,000 each year in the tri-border 
        region, in northern Chile, in Maicao, Colombia, on Margarita Island in 
        Venezuela, in Panama's Colon Free Trade Zone, and in other areas;
Whereas in March 2007, Brazilian officials arrested 31 people for illegally 
        issuing passports over the past 14 years, and press reports indicate 
        that some of these passports may have been provided to members of 
        terrorist organizations, including members of Hizbollah;
Whereas Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and the United States have formed the 3+1 
        Group, which has focused on the financing of terrorism, drug and arms 
        trafficking, and border security, as well as the exchange of 
        information, with the purpose of preventing terrorism and transnational 
        crimes;
Whereas in November 2006, Brazil established a new Regional Intelligence Center 
        in the tri-border region, dedicated to coordinating intelligence 
        activities of the police forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and 
        invited Argentina and Paraguay to send official representatives to the 
        center; and
Whereas in March 2007, the Organization of American States' Inter-American 
        Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) reaffirmed, ``terrorism in all its 
        forms and manifestations, whatever its origin or motivation, has no 
        justification whatsoever, affects the full enjoyment and exercise of 
        human rights, and constitutes a grave threat to international peace and 
        security, democratic institutions, and the values enshrined in the OAS 
        Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other regional and 
        international instruments'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses concern over the emerging national security 
        implications of the relationships between the leaders of Iran 
        and regimes in the Western Hemisphere like Venezuela;
            (2) expresses its continued support for the people of Iran 
        and Venezuela as they strive for freedom, respect for human 
        rights and civil liberties, democratic self-governance, and the 
        establishment of the rule of law;
            (3) supports the existing counterterrorism efforts of Latin 
        American countries, including the successful counterterrorism 
        efforts of the 3+1 Group (consisting of Brazil, Argentina, 
        Paraguay, and the United States);
            (4) emphasizes the importance of eliminating Hizbollah's 
        financial network in the tri-border region of South America 
        where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet and throughout the 
        Western Hemisphere;
            (5) calls on the United States government to work with 
        governments in the Western Hemisphere to pursue an 
        antiterrorism campaign based on cooperation and constant 
        vigilance;
            (6) urges the United States Government to work bilaterally 
        and multilaterally with countries in the Western Hemisphere to 
        create antiterrorism legislation that would give governmental 
        authorities new tools to take action against terrorist 
        networks; and
            (7) recommends that the President of the United States 
        create more mechanisms for joint counterterrorism operations 
        and intraregional information sharing among supportive 
        countries in the Western Hemisphere, especially in light of 
        Iran's increased involvement in the region.
                                 <all>
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