IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 872 
Calling for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to be designated a state 
sponsor of terrorism for its support of Iran, Hezbollah, and the Revolu-
tionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC). 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 27, 2009 
Mr. MACK (for himself and Mr. KLEIN of Florida) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Calling for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to be des-
ignated a state sponsor of terrorism for its support of 
Iran, Hezbollah, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces 
of Columbia (FARC). 
Whereas state sponsors of terrorism provide critical support 
to non-state terrorist groups; 
Whereas section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 
1979, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and 
section 640A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 stip-
ulate that a designated state sponsor of terrorism is one 
‘‘that repeatedly provides support to acts of international 
terrorism’’; 
Whereas the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has repeatedly 
provided support for acts of international terrorism, in-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
•HRES 872 IH 
cluding support for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia (FARC) and Hezbollah and has also closely 
aligned itself with Iran, a designated state sponsor of ter-
rorism; 
Whereas Venezuela has become Iran’s closest ally in the 
Western Hemisphere; 
Whereas Iran has been designated by the United States Gov-
ernment as a state sponsor of terrorism and according to 
the 2008 State Department’s Country Report on Ter-
rorism ‘‘has remained the most active state sponsor of 
terrorism’’; 
Whereas the 2008 Report states that the Government of Iran 
continues to pursue an expansion of its military ties into 
the Western Hemisphere and parts of Africa, including 
through its IRGC–Qods Force; 
Whereas Venezuela has concluded more than 200 bilateral 
agreements with Iran on military cooperation, the shar-
ing of intelligence, establishing direct civilian airline 
flights between Caracas and Tehran, expanding financial 
cooperation, and initiating cultural exchanges, among 
others; 
Whereas Venezuela reportedly has large deposits of uranium 
ore in the Guiana Shield region; 
Whereas in September 2009, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez 
announced that Venezuela intends to develop nuclear 
technology with the assistance of Iran; 
Whereas during a trip to Iran in September 2009, Chavez 
said that both Tehran and Caracas are ‘‘facing the same 
enemy, which is the U.S. Empire and its lackeys. And we 
will defeat the empire and its lackeys’’; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
•HRES 872 IH 
Whereas in a March 2009 congressional testimony, Admiral 
James G. Stavridis, then commander of the United 
States Southern Command, asserted that the main con-
cern about Iran’s increased activity in Latin America is 
its links to Hezbollah; 
Whereas in a January 2009 congressional testimony, Sec-
retary of Defense Robert Gates maintained that he was 
concerned about the level of ‘‘subversive activity that the 
Iranians are carrying on in a number of places in Latin 
America, particularly South America and Central Amer-
ica’’; 
Whereas the State Department’s 2008 Country Report on 
Terrorism has stated that Hezbollah closely follows the 
religious guidance of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali 
Khamenei; 
Whereas Hezbollah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist 
Organization on October 8, 1997, and is closely allied 
with Iran and often acts at its behest; 
Whereas prior to September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was respon-
sible for more deaths of United States citizens than any 
other terrorist group; 
Whereas Hezbollah has already attacked Western Hemi-
sphere targets, exemplified by the attacks on the Israeli 
Embassy in Argentina in 1992 and the Argentine-Israeli 
Mutual Association in Buenos Aires in 1994; 
Whereas the 2008 State Department’s Country Report on 
Terrorism states that the FARC was designated as a 
Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997; 
Whereas the Report continues that ‘‘[t]he Revolutionary 
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is Latin America’s 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
•HRES 872 IH 
oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped insur-
gency’’; 
Whereas the Report states that the U.S. Department of the 
Treasury has designated a Venezuelan diplomat as a 
Hezbollah supporter and two senior Venezuelan Govern-
ment officials and the former Justice and Interior Min-
ister for materially assisting the narcotics trafficking ac-
tivities of the FARC; 
Whereas, for more than 40 years, the FARC has carried out 
bombings, mortar attacks, kidnappings, extortion, guer-
rilla warfare, and drug trafficking targeting Colombian 
and United States political, military, and economic inter-
ests as well as foreign citizens; 
Whereas in July 2009, the Colombian military conducted a 
raid on a FARC training camp and recovered Swedish- 
made anti-tank rocket launchers sold to Venezuela in the 
1980s; 
Whereas seized documents from a Colombia-led raid against 
the FARC on March 1, 2008, suggest evidence of 
$300,000,000 in payments to the FARC from the Ven-
ezuelan Government, and efforts by the FARC to obtain 
50 kilograms of uranium; 
Whereas in January 2008, Chavez praised the FARC as ‘‘a 
real army’’ and ‘‘an insurgent force with a political 
project’’, and called upon foreign governments to cease 
referring to the FARC as a terrorist organization; 
Whereas in May 2009, the Secretary of State renewed an 
arms embargo against Venezuela for all United States 
commercial arms sales and re-transfers to Venezuela; 
Whereas the 2008 Country Report noted that Venezuelan 
citizenship, identity, and travel documents remained easy 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
•HRES 872 IH 
to obtain, making the country a potentially attractive 
way-station for terrorists; 
Whereas the Department of Homeland Security is required to 
assess security at foreign airports with direct service to 
the United States to determine compliance with stand-
ards established by the International Civil Aviation Orga-
nization (ICAO); 
Whereas the United States Transportation Security Adminis-
tration says it ‘‘has been unable to assess security meas-
ures at international airports in Venezuela that serve as 
the last point of departure for nonstop flights to the 
United States’’; 
Whereas the activities of supporters and financiers of ter-
rorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere con-
stitute a severe threat to the United States and its allies 
and interests; and 
Whereas many countries in the Western Hemisphere make 
serious prevention and preparedness efforts, including co-
operation with the United States, to address the mutual 
threat that terrorism poses to the region: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the Government of the Bolivarian 
Republic of Venezuela for its state-sponsored sup-
port of international terrorist groups; 
(2) calls on the Secretary of State to designate 
Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism; and 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS
•HRES 872 IH 
(3) urges increased and sustained cooperation 
on counter-terrorism initiatives between the govern-
ment of the United States and allies in the region. 
Æ 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
01:50 Oct 28, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR872.IH
HR872
jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with BILLS