IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 32
Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the occupation of the 
Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab Republic. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 26, 2005
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following con-
current resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the oc-
cupation of the Republic of Lebanon by the Syrian Arab 
Republic.
Whereas the Syrian Arab Republic is the only country cur-
rently occupying another country that is a full member 
of the United Nations, in violation of all international 
laws and norms, including United Nations Security 
Council Resolutions 425, 426, 520, and 1559; 
Whereas since its invasion of the Republic of Lebanon in 
1976, the Syrian regime has implemented a systematic 
policy of occupation over Lebanon that has transformed 
the political, social, and economic character of Lebanon;
•HCON 32 IH 
Whereas on July 20, 1976, President Hafez al-Assad of Syria 
stated that, ‘‘Syria and Lebanon were one state and one 
people . . .’’; 
Whereas the total Syrian occupation was complete on October 
13, 1990, when the Syrian troops launched aerial and 
ground attacks and occupied the Lebanese presidential 
palace and the ministry of defense, ousting the constitu-
tional government of Prime Minister Michel Aoun of Leb-
anon; 
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 to 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’’ decision-making; 
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, amending 
electoral laws in all instances, which delineated voting 
districts and laid down intricate procedures for the elec-
tions, which were rigged in a way to guarantee results fa-
vorable to Syria;
•HCON 32 IH 
Whereas Syrian-backed ad-hoc modifications to the Lebanese 
constitution extended the presidential tenure of the Leba-
nese president Elias Harawi by three years, allowed 
Emile Lahoud, commander of the Lebanese army, to be-
come president, and extended Lahoud’s term in con-
travention 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 patriots 
and oppositionists; 
Whereas Lebanese Broadcasting Law No. 382 of 1994 pro-
vided the legislative framework for controlling and re-
stricting Lebanese radio and television; 
Whereas the muzzle on the free flow of information and opin-
ion in Lebanon is in sharp contrast to the legacy of jour-
nalism in that country; 
Whereas Syria has reportedly widely utilized the practices of 
kidnapping and arresting Lebanese citizens, using torture 
against them, and causing their virtual disappearance; 
Whereas Human Rights Watch reported that in November 
1999 Syrian authorities in Damascus, Syria, offering no 
explanation whatsoever, returned the dead body of Leba-
nese citizen Adel Khalaf Ajouri, aged 52, who had ‘‘dis-
appeared’’ 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 IH 
nese militias except for retaining Hezbollah as a terrorist 
force 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 Lebanese Government officials have actively facili-
tated and contributed to the Syrian occupation and its 
activities, threatening regional and global security; and 
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’’: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Republic of Lebanon is a captive coun-
try; 
(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
•HCON 32 IH 
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 im-
mediate 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
•HCON 32 IH 
for broadcasts and civil society efforts to assist indi-
viduals, organizations, and entities that support 
Lebanese sovereignty and the promotion of democ-
racy in Lebanon.
Æ