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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4728 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4728

  To authorize assistance to promote counter-extremism efforts in the 
                 Balkan region, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 2, 2010

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Royce, 
 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Inglis, Mrs. Myrick, and Mr. Massa) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To authorize assistance to promote counter-extremism efforts in the 
                 Balkan region, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Balkan Counter-Extremism and 
Security Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the 
        United States, also referred to as the ``9/11 Commission'', 
        found the region of Central and Eastern Europe to be 
        potentially vulnerable to terrorists.
            (2) In 1996, the Central Intelligence Agency issued a 
        report which identified approximately 16 Islamic charities in 
        countries of the Balkan region that were connected to Islamist 
        extremist organizations such as al-Qaeda, the Egyptian Jamaah 
        al-Islamiyah, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
            (3) In 1999, the Saudi Joint Relief Committee for the 
        Relief of Kosovo and Chechnya (SJCRKC) reportedly brought to 
        Kosovo almost 400 missionaries of the Wahhabi interpretation of 
        Islam.
            (4) The United States Department of State listed the 
        organization known as the ``Active Islamic Youth'' (AIO), as a 
        terrorist organization in 2001, and that organization is 
        reported to be active in Bosnia-Herzegovina and several other 
        European countries.
            (5) The Benevolence International Foundation charity, which 
        in 2002 was listed as a front for terrorist financing by the 
        United States Department of the Treasury, was headquartered in 
        Croatia and highlighted in its documentation that its mission 
        was to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to the ``Jihad 
        in Bosnia-Herzegovina'', and urged people to ``contribute to 
        your brothers in order to block the Jewish-Crusader assault on 
        Islamic soil''.
            (6) In June 2004, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad claimed that 
        it had individuals working for three Islamic charities in 
        Albania, including the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation and the 
        Revival of Islamic Heritage Society.
            (7) The United States Department of State's 2005 Annual 
        Country Report on Terrorism stated that Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina's State Border Service did not fully control all 
        border crossing points and that many official border posts were 
        understaffed, and also that the service lacked the funds, 
        resources, and qualified personnel necessary to be effective.
            (8) The International Crisis Group research organization 
        reported on April 8, 2005, that there are believed to be 
        extremists of the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam now residing 
        in the Sandzak region of Serbia.
            (9) In March 2006, a special Bosnian Government 
        investigatory commission known as ``Oslobodjenje'' revoked the 
        fraudulent citizenship of over 600 naturalized Bosnians who had 
        not met either of the two criteria for Bosnian citizenship: 
        presence in Bosnia or documentation to show a connection to 
        Bosnia.
            (10) The actions taken by the Bosnian investigatory 
        commission included the revocation of a passport that had been 
        issued to Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist 
        organization.
            (11) The United States Department of State's 2007 Annual 
        Country Report on Terrorism stated that, ``As a result of weak 
        interagency communication, competing security structures, and 
        political interference in law enforcement, Bosnia is vulnerable 
        to exploitation as a potential staging ground for terrorist 
        operations in Europe.''.
            (12) In March 2007, Bosnian police found weapons in an 
        apartment occupied by a group that had planned to blow up the 
        British Embassy in Sarajevo.
            (13) On March 19, 2007, Serbian police reportedly raided a 
        camp near the town of Novi Pazar in the Sandzak region of 
        Serbia suspected of being used by extremists and discovered 
        weapons, ammunition, and explosives with detonators.
            (14) According to various reports, including those in Shaul 
        Shay's 2007 book entitled, ``Terrorism in the Balkans'', 75 
        percent of the drugs smuggled into Europe transit the countries 
        of the Balkan region and profits from drugs trafficked through 
        parts of the region have bankrolled global terrorist groups 
        such as Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
            (15) In May 2007, six Kosovar Albanians residing illegally 
        in the United States were arrested and subsequently convicted 
        for plotting to use automatic weapons to kill United States 
        soldiers at the Fort Dix Army Base in New Jersey.
            (16) Several moderate Bosnian Islamic leaders have issued 
        stern warnings to extremist groups in that country. In May 
        2007, Mustafa Ceric, the leading Islamic cleric in Bosnia, 
        stated in response to demands by some Wahhabi groups that 
        Bosnian Muslims follow their extremist ideology that, ``The 
        Islamic Community regulations rule here. Those who cannot 
        accept this did not have to come here and don't need to 
        stay.''.
            (17) In June 2007, the Albanian newspaper, ``Shqip'', 
        reported that a ``Wahhabi sect'' within the Islamic Community 
        in Albania benefitted from monthly ``salaries'' paid for 
        dressing and behaving in accordance with Wahhabi 
        fundamentalism.
            (18) In 2007, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 
        Commander in Bosnia, General John Sylvestar, stated, ``In fact, 
        there are international terrorist organizations which have 
        individuals in Bosnia, including al Qaeda. What we have to 
        determine is whether or not the individuals involved are here 
        for the purpose of planning operations, or are here for 
        something else, being supported, being provided documentation, 
        seeking respite or whatever''.
            (19) In August 2007, Mr. Raffi Gregorian, a senior United 
        States diplomat in Bosnia, stated that the al-Qaeda terrorist 
        organization was using Bosnia as a transit point, and utilized 
        supporters among former Islamic fighters who had arrived to 
        fight in the Balkans during the Bosnian war in the 1990s, and 
        later remained under fraudulently obtained citizenship papers.
            (20) In January 2008, former Deputy High Representative and 
        former chief of the United Nations police mission in Bosnia, 
        Mr. Jacques Paul Klein, said, ``I know that there are al Qaeda 
        cells ... in Bosnia ...''.
            (21) Two insurgents who were killed when they joined in a 
        January 2008 attack on coalition forces in Iraq were found to 
        have carried Bosnian passports.
            (22) In May 2008, the Imam Bekir Halimi of the Former 
        Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was arrested for facilitating 
        illegal funding by a pro-terrorist organization. Since January 
        2007, Halimi had allegedly been receiving over 4.5 million 
        Euros per year through monthly payments from the Kuwaiti 
        Organization known as the ``Revival Islamic Heritage Society'', 
        which was designated as a front for terrorist financing by both 
        the United States Department of the Treasury and the United 
        Nations in January 2002.
            (23) On January 28, 2009, Svetlana Lukic, the B92 radio 
        station host of the popular liberal talk show ``Hourglass'' 
        which advocates for democratic reforms in Serbia, reported that 
        extremist Serbian ultranationalist groups had hacked into the 
        show's website, vandalized her car, broken into the radio 
        station and physically attacked the participants on her panels, 
        claiming that the program was ``anti-Serb''.
            (24) On February 28, 2009, the Serbian Human and Minority 
        Rights Ministry announced its request that the Serbian 
        Prosecutor's Office investigate the constitutionality of an 
        extremist group called ``Obraz'' that was listed in 2005 by the 
        Serbian Interior Ministry as a clero-fascist organization and 
        had posted on its website a list of perceived enemies, 
        including ``Zionists, Ustasha, Muslim extremists, and Shiptar 
        terrorists'' and issued violent rallying calls that ``Serb 
        enemies will be eradicated and punished''.
            (25) The Bosnian government lacks the capacity to 
        adequately monitor individuals awaiting deportation, even while 
        they are in prison, as was demonstrated in the case of 
        Tunisian-born former Islamist fighter Kamel bin Ali (also known 
        as Abu Hamza), who was imprisoned in 2008 for armed robbery and 
        domestic violence, was due to be deported at the end of his 
        sentence because the government had determined that his 
        citizenship was fraudulent and that bin Ali was ``a threat to 
        national security'', was given a ``good behavior'' short term 
        holiday from prison and then had failed to return as scheduled 
        on July 31, 2009, spurring a country-wide police hunt resulting 
        in his re-arrest in Zenica on August 8, 2009.
            (26) On September 22, 2009, in response to certain ultra-
        nationalist extremist groups that incited violent attacks at 
        football matches which resulted in the death of one French 
        national and the hospitalization of several others, the Serbian 
        Government announced it would investigate and outlaw extremist 
        organizations, as Serbian President Boris Tadic stated, ``All 
        extremists, left or right, will be tried before our courts.''.
            (27) On October 13, 2009, Albanian authorities arrested 
        imam Artan Kristo, aka Muhamed Abdullah (who had worked in 2002 
        for the El-Haramain Foundation which had been listed on the 
        United States Department of State's Terrorist Watch List for 
        its alleged ties to al-Qaeda) on charges of ``publically 
        inciting and propagating terrorist acts'' and for calling for 
        jihad in an online forum.
            (28) It has been reported that the Islamic missionary group 
        ``Tablighi Jamaat'' or ``Group of Preachers'', which has been 
        linked to people who have committed terrorist offenses, such as 
        John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid, and Zacarias Moussaoui, has 
        been increasingly active in the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
        Macedonia.
            (29) Extremist movements in the countries of the Balkan 
        region pose a threat to the security of all moderate people in 
        the region who support the ideals of freedom, democracy, 
        tolerance, and the rule of law.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the countries of the Balkan region face challenges 
        presented by the presence of extremist groups;
            (2) vulnerabilities in governance structures and the 
        enforcement of the rule of law in many of the countries of the 
        Balkan region have allowed extremism to take root there;
            (3) the United States, the European Union and its Member 
        States, and the Republic of Turkey should coordinate their 
        efforts to combat extremism in the countries of the Balkan 
        region, with the European Union taking the lead in assisting 
        the countries of the Balkan region to strengthen their law 
        enforcement and border security capabilities; and
            (4) the Secretary of State should seek agreements with the 
        governments of the countries of the Balkan region under which 
        such governments would work in partnership with the United 
        States to strengthen their efforts to combat extremism, 
        terrorism, and illicit activities that may provide financial 
        and operational support to extremism and terrorism movements.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It shall be the policy of the United States to--
            (1) to continue to provide assistance to the countries of 
        the Balkan region through previously authorized counter-
        terrorism, counter-drug, border security, and law enforcement 
        assistance programs;
            (2) prohibit travel to the United States by any individuals 
        who incite and recruit people of the Balkan region to engage in 
        violent jihad or to commit acts of terrorism; and
            (3) encourage and support all countries of the Balkan 
        region to--
                    (A) ratify and fully implement the commitments 
                included in the United Nations International Convention 
                for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism 
                (1999);
                    (B) adhere to the United Nations Security Council 
                Resolution 1373 (2005), regarding the prohibition of 
                incitement to commit a terrorist act or acts;
                    (C) adhere to the standards contained in the 
                Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) ``40 
                Recommendations'' and ``9 Special Recommendations'', 
                particularly in the areas of policing donations to 
                charitable fronts for terrorist organizations; and
                    (D) ratify and fully implement the Council of 
                Europe's Warsaw Convention on the Prevention of 
                Terrorism.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO COUNTER MILITANT EXTREMIST ACTIVITIES IN THE 
              BALKAN REGION.

    (a) Assistance Authorized.--The President is authorized to provide 
assistance to countries of the Balkan region to facilitate cooperation 
between the United States and such countries on counter-extremism and 
counter-terrorism efforts. Such assistance shall be made available in 
addition to assistance otherwise provided under chapter 8 of part I and 
chapter 8 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2291 et seq. and 2349aa et seq.).
    (b) Purposes of Assistance.--Assistance under this section shall be 
provided as an incentive for countries of the Balkan region to more 
actively cooperate with the United States to achieve the purposes 
specified in section 572 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2349aa-1).
    (c) Terms and Conditions.--Funds made available for assistance 
under this section to countries of the Balkan region shall be provided 
as follows:
            (1) Tier i countries.--
                    (A) In general.--A country that meets the 
                requirements of subparagraph (B) shall be eligible to 
                receive an allocation of funds under this section in an 
                amount equal to 25 percent of the total amount of funds 
                provided to the country in the prior fiscal year under 
                chapter 8 of part I and chapter 8 of part II of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Such a country shall be 
                known as a ``Tier I country'' for purposes of this 
                section.
                    (B) Requirements.--The requirements of this 
                subparagraph are the following:
                            (i) The country, in conjunction with the 
                        United States Department of State's Office of 
                        the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, shall 
                        conduct a review of its counter-terrorism 
                        infrastructure, including a review of--
                                    (I) the foundation of the country's 
                                laws for the adequate criminalization 
                                of incitement to violent extremist acts 
                                and terrorist activities;
                                    (II) anti-radicalization outreach 
                                efforts;
                                    (III) law enforcement training and 
                                effectiveness;
                                    (IV) independent and consistent 
                                judicial processes; and
                                    (V) border security.
                            (ii) The country shall sign a Memorandum of 
                        Understanding with the United States to 
                        establish country-specific counter-terrorism 
                        program benchmarks based on recommendations 
                        derived from the review required under clause 
                        (i).
            (2) Tier ii countries.--
                    (A) In general.--A country that meets the 
                requirements of subparagraph (B) shall be eligible to 
                receive an allocation of funds under this section in an 
                amount equal to 50 percent of the total amount of funds 
                provided to the country in the prior fiscal year under 
                chapter 8 of part I and chapter 8 of part II of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Such a country shall be 
                known as a ``Tier II country'' for purposes of this 
                section.
                    (B) Requirements.--The requirements of this 
                subparagraph are the following:
                            (i) The country shall meet the requirements 
                        applicable to a Tier I country under paragraph 
                        (1).
                            (ii) The country shall be certified by the 
                        United States Department of State that it has 
                        continued to meet the requirements of the 
                        Memorandum of Understanding described in 
                        paragraph (1)(B)(ii) and has implemented fully 
                        the initial stage of reforms as identified in 
                        the Memorandum of Understanding.
                            (iii) The country shall be certified by the 
                        United States Department of State as fully 
                        cooperating with any appropriate war crimes 
                        tribunals.
            (3) Tier iii countries.--
                    (A) In general.--A country that meets the 
                requirements of subparagraph (B) shall be eligible to 
                receive an allocation of funds under this section in an 
                amount equal to 100 percent of the total amount of 
                funds provided to the country in the prior fiscal year 
                under chapter 8 of part I and chapter 8 of part II of 
                the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Such a country 
                shall be known as a ``Tier III country'' for purposes 
                of this section.
                    (B) Requirements.--The requirements of this 
                subparagraph are that the country shall be certified by 
                the United States Department of State that it has 
                implemented fully the final stage of reforms as 
                identified in the Memorandum of Understanding described 
                in paragraph (1)(B)(ii).

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on 
the status of extremist and terrorist organizations and movements in 
the countries of the Balkan region, and the capacity of countries of 
the Balkan region to address such extremist and terrorist organizations 
and movements.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection 
(a) shall specifically address the following:
            (1) Any trend toward increased extremist influence over the 
        people of the Balkan region, including any indications of a 
        spread of extremist influence over the people of the Balkan 
        region through the financing of religious institutions and the 
        establishment of scholarships to study abroad by countries and 
        organizations outside the Balkan region.
            (2) The capability of countries of the Balkan region to 
        properly secure their borders against arms proliferation, human 
        trafficking, and drug smuggling.
            (3) The capability of the countries of the Balkan region to 
        maintain appropriate controls over citizenship and official 
        documentation for the citizens of such countries.
            (4) A summary of funding amounts and a description of 
        associated programs for United States assistance made available 
        to combat terrorism in each of the countries of the Balkan 
        region.
            (5) A summary of funding amounts and a description of 
        associated programs for assistance provided by the European 
        Union and its Member-States and the Republic of Turkey to the 
        countries of the Balkan region to combat the rise of extremism 
        and improve the capacities of such countries to secure their 
        borders, properly enforce laws, and take other steps to combat 
        financing of extremists and their operations.
            (6) A summary of efforts by the United States, the European 
        Union and its Member-States, and the Republic of Turkey to 
        coordinate their assistance and programs described in 
        paragraphs (4) and (5) toward the objectives of this Act.
    (c) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex if 
necessary.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
            (2) Countries of the balkan region.--The term ``countries 
        of the Balkan region'' means Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
        Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic 
        of Macedonia), Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) International Narcotics Control Assistance.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of 
the fiscal years 2011 through 2015 to carry out the provisions of 
chapter 8 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2291 et seq.) for programs and activities in the countries of the 
Balkan region in support of the objectives of this Act.
    (b) Antiterrorism Assistance.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2011 through 2015 to carry out the provisions of chapter 8 of part II 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2349aa et seq.) for 
programs and activities in the countries of the Balkan region in 
support of the objectives of this Act.
    (c) Assistance To Promote Counter-Extremism and Counter-
Terrorism.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2011 
        through 2015 to carry out the provisions of section 5 of this 
        Act.
            (2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) for a 
        fiscal year are authorized to remain available through 
        September 30 of the succeeding fiscal year. Such amounts that 
        are unobligated beginning on October 1 of the succeeding fiscal 
        year are authorized to be made available to carry out the 
        provisions of chapter 8 of part I and chapter 8 of part II of 
        the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2291 et seq. and 
        2349aa et seq.) for programs and activities in the countries of 
        the Balkan region in support of the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 9. TEMPORARY INCREASE IN FEE FOR CERTAIN CONSULAR SERVICES IN 
              COUNTRIES OF THE BALKAN REGION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not 
later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of State shall increase by $1.00 the fee or surcharge 
assessed under section 140(a) of the Foreign Relations Authorization 
Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236; 8 U.S.C. 1351 
note) over the amount of such fee or surcharge as of such date for 
processing nonimmigrant visas for applicants from countries of the 
Balkan region.
    (b) Deposit of Amounts.--Notwithstanding section 140(a)(2) of the 
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995, the 
additional amount collected pursuant to the fee increase under 
subsection (a) shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States.
    (c) Duration of Increase.--The fee increase authorized under 
subsection (a) shall terminate on January 1, 2015.
                                 <all>
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