III 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 32 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MARCH 17, 2005 
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the grave concern of Congress regarding the oc-
cupation of the Lebanese Republic by the Syrian Arab 
Republic. 
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 RFS 
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 RFS 
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 RFS 
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 RFS 
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 RFS 
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 RFS 
Lebanese sovereignty and the promotion of democ-
racy in Lebanon. 
Passed the House of Representatives March 17, 
2005. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.