109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 32
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas since its invasion of the Lebanese Republic in 1976,
the regime of the Syrian Arab Republic has implemented
a systematic policy of occupation over Lebanon that has
transformed the political, social, and economic character
of Lebanon;
•HCON 32 EH
Whereas on July 20, 1976, President Hafez al-Assad of Syria
stated that ‘‘Syria and Lebanon were one state and one
people’’;
Whereas, on October 13, 1990, the Syrian occupation of Leb-
anon was complete, when Syrian troops launched aerial
and ground attacks and occupied the Lebanese presi-
dential palace and the Ministry of Defense, ousting the
constitutional government of Prime Minister Michel Aoun
of Lebanon;
Whereas the Syrian regime appointed their own proxy gov-
ernment and president in occupied Lebanon, and started
a large-scale persecution operation against the Lebanese
people by arresting, abducting, torturing, and killing op-
ponents of the occupation;
Whereas, on May 22, 1991, following the occupation of Bei-
rut, Lebanon, Syria concluded the Brotherhood Treaty
for Coordination and Cooperation with Lebanon;
Whereas this treaty solidified the integration of the two coun-
tries in matters of security and intelligence, finance and
trade, and industry and agriculture, by establishing the
mechanism for Syrian command under the cover of
‘‘joint’’ decisionmaking;
Whereas the Syrian regime has continued to employ a wide
range of policy means to transform Lebanon into a ‘‘cli-
ent state’’ and a Syrian political satellite;
Whereas Syria clearly tampered with the Lebanese par-
liamentary elections of 1992, 1996, and 2000, by amend-
ing electoral laws which delineated voting districts and
laid down intricate procedures for the elections, which
were rigged in a way to guarantee results favorable to
Syria;
•HCON 32 EH
Whereas Syrian-backed ad-hoc modifications to the Lebanese
constitution extended by three years the presidential ten-
ure of Lebanese president Elias Harawi, allowed Emile
Lahoud, commander of the Lebanese army, to become
president, and extended Lahoud’s term in contravention
of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559;
Whereas Lebanese judicial institutions have been utilized and
mobilized to impose Syrian control, including the routine
issuance of death sentences in abstentia against expatri-
ates and opposition leaders;
Whereas Lebanese Broadcasting Law No. 382 of 1994 pro-
vided the legislative framework for controlling and re-
stricting Lebanese radio and television;
Whereas the restrictions on the free flow of information and
opinion in Lebanon is in sharp contrast to the legacy of
journalism in that country;
Whereas it is widely reported that Syria has utilized the prac-
tices of kidnapping and arresting Lebanese citizens,
using torture against them, and causing their virtual dis-
appearance;
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported that in November
1999 Syrian authorities in Damascus, Syria, offering no
explanation whatsoever, returned to his family the dead
body of Lebanese citizen Adel Khalaf Ajouri, aged 52,
who had ‘‘disappeared’’ in 1990;
Whereas within Lebanon itself, Syria reportedly operated de-
tention facilities in Tripoli, Beirut, Shtaura in the Bekka
Valley, and Anjar on the Lebanese-Syrian border;
Whereas ‘‘Syrian order’’ in Lebanon was institutionalized
when Damascus led the process of disarming the Leba-
•HCON 32 EH
nese militias, except for Hezbollah, which Syria retains as
a terrorist proxy engaged against the State of Israel;
Whereas Lebanon, under the control of Syria, continues to
serve as a major training center for terrorist organiza-
tions such as Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
Hamas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Pal-
estine–General Command;
Whereas a number of Lebanese government officials have ac-
tively facilitated and contributed to the Syrian occupation
and its activities, thereby threatening regional and global
security;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559
calls for the ‘‘strict respect of the sovereignty, territorial
integrity, unity, and political independence of Lebanon
under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government
of Lebanon throughout Lebanon’’, the withdrawal from
Lebanon of ‘‘all remaining foreign forces’’, ‘‘the dis-
banding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Leba-
nese militias’’, and ‘‘the extension of the control of the
Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory’’;
Whereas, on February 14, 2005, a bomb exploded in Beirut,
Lebanon, killing at least 15 people, including Rafik
Hariri, former Prime Minister of Lebanon, and wounding
approximately 100 other innocent victims;
Whereas after the bombing, President George W. Bush stated
during an address in Brussels that ‘‘Our shared commit-
ment to democratic progress is being tested in Lebanon,
a once-thriving country that now suffers under the influ-
ence of an oppressive neighbor’’, called on Syria to ‘‘end
its occupation of Lebanon’’, and reiterated the provisions
of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559;
•HCON 32 EH
Whereas Lebanese opposition leaders gathered after Hariri
was killed and issued a statement demanding Syrian
troop withdrawal from Lebanon within the next three
months, calling for the resignation of the current Leba-
nese cabinet, and declaring that ‘‘we will fight the cur-
rent regime and demand our right for a neutral govern-
ment that makes sure Lebanon steps forward from being
a captive state to regaining its full independence and sov-
ereignty’’; and
Whereas the ongoing mass demonstrations by the Lebanese
people resulted in the dramatic resignation of the Leba-
nese Cabinet on February 28, 2005: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Lebanese Republic is a captive country;
(2) the occupation of Lebanon represents a
long-term threat to the security of the Middle East
and United States efforts to promote political and
economic liberalization in the region, and this issue
should be raised by the President and the Secretary
of State in all appropriate bilateral and multilateral
forums;
(3) the President should direct the United
States Permanent Representative to the United Na-
tions to present and secure support for a United Na-
tions Security Council Resolution classifying Leb-
anon as a captive country and calling for the imme-
•HCON 32 EH
diate release of all Lebanese detainees in Syria and
Lebanon;
(4) the President should freeze all assets in the
United States belonging to Lebanese government of-
ficials who are found to support and aid the occupa-
tion of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic;
(5) all countries should fully and immediately
implement United Nations Security Council Resolu-
tion 1559;
(6) it should be the policy of the United States
to—
(A) support independent human rights and
pro-democracy advocates in Lebanon; and
(B) seek the full restoration of sovereign
democratic rule in Lebanon; and
(7) the United States should provide assistance
through the Middle East Partnership Initiative and
the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative
for broadcasts and civil society efforts to assist indi-
viduals, organizations, and entities that support
•HCON 32 EH
Lebanese sovereignty and the promotion of democ-
racy in Lebanon.
Passed the House of Representatives March 17,
2005.
Attest:
Clerk.
109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 32
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the grave concern of Congress regard-
ing the occupation of the Lebanese Republic by
the Syrian Arab Republic.