H. R. 1828
One Hundred Eighth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the seventh day of January, two thousand and three
An Act
To halt Syrian support for terrorism, end its occupation of Lebanon, and stop
its development of weapons of mass destruction, and by so doing hold Syria
accountable for the serious international security problems it has caused in the
Middle East, 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 ‘‘Syria Accountability and Leba-
nese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On June 24, 2002, President Bush stated ‘‘Syria must
choose the right side in the war on terror by closing terrorist
camps and expelling terrorist organizations’’.
(2) United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (Sep-
tember 28, 2001) mandates that all states ‘‘refrain from pro-
viding any form of support, active or passive, to entities or
persons involved in terrorist acts’’, take ‘‘the necessary steps
to prevent the commission of terrorist acts’’, and ‘‘deny safe
haven to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist
acts’’.
(3) The Government of Syria is currently prohibited by
United States law from receiving United States assistance
because it has repeatedly provided support for acts of inter-
national terrorism, as determined by the Secretary of State
for purposes of section 6(j)(1) of the Export Administration
Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2405(j)(1)) and other relevant
provisions of law.
(4) Although the Department of State lists Syria as a
state sponsor of terrorism and reports that Syria provides ‘‘safe
haven and support to several terrorist groups’’, fewer United
States sanctions apply with respect to Syria than with respect
to any other country that is listed as a state sponsor of ter-
rorism.
(5) Terrorist groups, including Hizballah, Hamas, Pales-
tinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Pal-
estine—General Command, maintain offices, training camps,
and other facilities on Syrian territory, and operate in areas
of Lebanon occupied by the Syrian armed forces and receive
supplies from Iran through Syria.
H. R. 1828—2
(6) United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 (Sep-
tember 17, 1982) calls for ‘‘strict respect of the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, unity and political independence of Leb-
anon under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government
of Lebanon through the Lebanese Army throughout Lebanon’’.
(7) Approximately 20,000 Syrian troops and security per-
sonnel occupy much of the sovereign territory of Lebanon
exerting undue influence upon its government and undermining
its political independence.
(8) Since 1990 the Senate and House of Representatives
have passed seven bills and resolutions which call for the
withdrawal of Syrian armed forces from Lebanon.
(9) On March 3, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell
declared that it is the objective of the United States to ‘‘let
Lebanon be ruled by the Lebanese people without the presence
of [the Syrian] occupation army’’.
(10) Large and increasing numbers of the Lebanese people
from across the political spectrum in Lebanon have mounted
peaceful and democratic calls for the withdrawal of the Syrian
Army from Lebanese soil.
(11) Israel has withdrawn all of its armed forces from
Lebanon in accordance with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 425 (March 19, 1978), as certified by the United
Nations Secretary General.
(12) Even in the face of this United Nations certification
that acknowledged Israel’s full compliance with Security
Council 
Resolution 
425, 
Syrian- 
and 
Iranian-supported
Hizballah continues to attack Israeli outposts at Shebaa Farms,
under the pretense that Shebaa Farms is territory from which
Israel was required to withdraw by Security Counsel Resolution
425, and Syrian- and Iranian-supported Hizballah and other
militant organizations continue to attack civilian targets in
Israel.
(13) Syria will not allow Lebanon—a sovereign country—
to fulfill its obligation in accordance with Security Council
Resolution 425 to deploy its troops to southern Lebanon.
(14) As a result, the Israeli-Lebanese border and much
of southern Lebanon is under the control of Hizballah, which
continues to attack Israeli positions, allows Iranian Revolu-
tionary Guards and other militant groups to operate freely
in the area, and maintains thousands of rockets along Israel’s
northern border, destabilizing the entire region.
(15) On February 12, 2003, Director of Central Intelligence
George Tenet stated the following with respect to the Syrian-
and Iranian-supported Hizballah: ‘‘[A]s an organization with
capability and worldwide presence [it] is [al Qaeda’s] equal
if not a far more capable organization * * * [T]hey’re a notch
above in many respects, in terms of in their relationship with
the Iranians and the training they receive, [which] puts them
in a state-sponsored category with a potential for lethality
that’s quite great.’’.
(16) In the State of the Union address on January 29,
2002, President Bush declared that the United States will
‘‘work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their
state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make
and deliver weapons of mass destruction’’.