Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003
PL 108-175 (H.R.1828), enacted 12/12/2003

117 STAT. 2482
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
Public Law 108–175
108th Congress
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.
22 USC 2151
note.
22 USC 2151
note.
Syria
Accountability
and Lebanese
Sovereignty
Restoration Act
of 2003.
Dec. 12, 2003
[H.R. 1828]
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117 STAT. 2483
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
(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’’.
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117 STAT. 2484
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
(17) The Government of Syria continues to develop and
deploy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
(18) According to the December 2001 unclassified Central
Intelligence Agency report entitled ‘‘Foreign Missile Develop-
ments and the Ballistic Missile Threat through 2015’’, ‘‘Syria
maintains a ballistic missile and rocket force of hundreds of
FROG rockets, Scuds, and SS–21 SRBMs [and] Syria has devel-
oped [chemical weapons] warheads for its Scuds’’.
(19) The Government of Syria is pursuing the development
and production of biological and chemical weapons and has
a nuclear research and development program that is cause
for concern.
(20) According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s
‘‘Unclassified Report to Congress on the Acquisition of Tech-
nology Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced
Conventional Munitions’’, released January 7, 2003: ‘‘[Syria]
already holds a stockpile of the nerve agent sarin but appar-
ently is trying to develop more toxic and persistent nerve
agents. Syria remains dependent on foreign sources for key
elements of its [chemical weapons] program, including precursor
chemicals and key production equipment. It is highly probable
that Syria also is developing an offensive [biological weapons]
capability.’’.
(21) On May 6, 2002, the Under Secretary of State for
Arms Control and International Security, John Bolton, stated:
‘‘The United States also knows that Syria has long had a
chemical warfare program. It has a stockpile of the nerve
agent sarin and is engaged in research and development of
the more toxic and persistent nerve agent VX. Syria, which
has signed but not ratified the [Biological Weapons Convention],
is pursuing the development of biological weapons and is able
to produce at least small amounts of biological warfare agents.’’.
(22) According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s
‘‘Unclassified Report to Congress on the Acquisition of Tech-
nology Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced
Conventional Munitions’’, released January 7, 2003: ‘‘Russia
and Syria have approved a draft cooperative program on
cooperation on civil nuclear power. In principal, broader access
to Russian expertise provides opportunities for Syria to expand
its indigenous capabilities, should it decide to pursue nuclear
weapons.’’.
(23) Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (21 UST 483), which entered force on March 5, 1970,
and to which Syria is a party, Syria has undertaken not to
acquire or produce nuclear weapons and has accepted full scope
safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency to detect
diversions of nuclear materials from peaceful activities to the
production of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive
devices.
(24) Syria is not a party to the Chemical Weapons Conven-
tion or the Biological Weapons Convention, which entered into
force on April 29, 1997, and on March 26, 1975, respectively.
(25) Syrian President Bashar Assad promised Secretary
of State Powell in February 2001 to end violations of Security
Council Resolution 661, which restricted the sale of oil and
other commodities by Saddam Hussein’s regime, except to the
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117 STAT. 2485
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
extent authorized by other relevant resolutions, but this pledge
was never fulfilled.
(26) Syria’s illegal imports and transshipments of Iraqi
oil during Saddam Hussein’s regime earned Syria $50,000,000
or more per month as Syria continued to sell its own Syrian
oil at market prices.
(27) Syria’s illegal imports and transshipments of Iraqi
oil earned Saddam Hussein’s regime $2,000,000 per day.
(28) On March 28, 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld warned: ‘‘[W]e have information that shipments of
military supplies have been crossing the border from Syria
into Iraq, including night-vision goggles * * * These deliveries
pose a direct threat to the lives of coalition forces. We consider
such trafficking as hostile acts, and will hold the Syrian govern-
ment accountable for such shipments.’’.
(29) According to Article 23(1) of the United Nations
Charter, members of the United Nations are elected as non-
permanent members of the United Nations Security Council
with ‘‘due regard being specially paid, in the first instance
to the contribution of members of the United Nations to the
maintenance of international peace and security and to other
purposes of the Organization’’.
(30) Despite Article 23(1) of the United Nations Charter,
Syria was elected on October 8, 2001, to a 2-year term as
a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security
Council beginning January 1, 2002, and served as President
of the Security Council during June 2002 and August 2003.
(31) On March 31, 2003, the Syrian Foreign Minister,
Farouq al-Sharra, made the Syrian regime’s intentions clear
when he explicitly stated that ‘‘Syria’s interest is to see the
invaders defeated in Iraq’’.
(32) On April 13, 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Rums-
feld charged that ‘‘busloads’’ of Syrian fighters entered Iraq
with ‘‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’’ and leaflets offering
rewards for dead American soldiers.
(33) On September 16, 2003, the Under Secretary of State
for Arms Control and International Security, John Bolton,
appeared before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and
Central Asia of the Committee on International Relations of
the House of Representatives, and underscored Syria’s ‘‘hostile
actions’’ toward coalition forces during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Under Secretary Bolton added that: ‘‘Syria allowed
military equipment to flow into Iraq on the eve of and during
the war. Syria permitted volunteers to pass into Iraq to attack
and kill our service members during the war, and is still
doing so * * * [Syria’s] behavior during Operation Iraqi Freedom
underscores the importance of taking seriously reports and
information on Syria’s WMD capabilities.’’.
(34) During his appearance before the Committee on Inter-
national Relations of the House of Representatives on Sep-
tember 25, 2003, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III, Adminis-
trator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, stated
that out of the 278 third-country nationals who were captured
by coalition forces in Iraq, the ‘‘single largest group are Syr-
ians’’.
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117 STAT. 2486
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Government of Syria should immediately and
unconditionally halt support for terrorism, permanently and
openly declare its total renunciation of all forms of terrorism,
and close all terrorist offices and facilities in Syria, including
the offices of Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—General Com-
mand;
(2) the Government of Syria should—
(A) immediately and unconditionally stop facilitating
transit from Syria to Iraq of individuals, military equip-
ment, and all lethal items, except as authorized by the
Coalition Provisional Authority or a representative, inter-
nationally recognized Iraqi government;
(B) cease its support for ‘‘volunteers’’ and terrorists
who are traveling from and through Syria into Iraq to
launch attacks; and
(C) undertake concrete, verifiable steps to deter such
behavior and control the use of territory under Syrian
control;
(3) the Government of Syria should immediately declare
its commitment to completely withdraw its armed forces,
including military, paramilitary, and security forces, from Leb-
anon, and set a firm timetable for such withdrawal;
(4) the Government of Lebanon should deploy the Lebanese
armed forces to all areas of Lebanon, including South Lebanon,
in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution
520 (September 17, 1982), in order to assert the sovereignty
of the Lebanese state over all of its territory, and should evict
all terrorist and foreign forces from southern Lebanon,
including Hizballah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards;
(5) the Government of Syria should halt the development
and deployment of medium- and long-range surface-to-surface
missiles and cease the development and production of biological
and chemical weapons;
(6) the Governments of Lebanon and Syria should enter
into serious unconditional bilateral negotiations with the
Government of Israel in order to realize a full and permanent
peace;
(7) the United States should continue to provide humani-
tarian and educational assistance to the people of Lebanon
only through appropriate private, nongovernmental organiza-
tions and appropriate international organizations, until such
time as the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty and
control over all of its territory and borders and achieves full
political independence, as called for in United Nations Security
Council Resolution 520; and
(8) as a violator of several key United Nations Security
Council resolutions and as a nation that pursues policies which
undermine international peace and security, Syria should not
have been permitted to join the United Nations Security Council
or serve as the Security Council’s President, and should be
removed from the Security Council.
22 USC 2151
note.
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117 STAT. 2487
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States that—
(1) Syria should bear responsibility for attacks committed
by Hizballah and other terrorist groups with offices, training
camps, or other facilities in Syria, or bases in areas of Lebanon
occupied by Syria;
(2) the United States will work to deny Syria the ability
to support acts of international terrorism and efforts to develop
or acquire weapons of mass destruction;
(3) the Secretary of State will continue to list Syria as
a state sponsor of terrorism until Syria ends its support for
terrorism, including its support of Hizballah and other terrorist
groups in Lebanon and its hosting of terrorist groups in
Damascus, and comes into full compliance with United States
law relating to terrorism and United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1373 (September 28, 2001);
(4) the full restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty, political
independence, and territorial integrity is in the national secu-
rity interest of the United States;
(5) Syria is in violation of United Nations Security Council
Resolution 520 (September 17, 1982) through its continued
occupation of Lebanese territory and its encroachment upon
Lebanon’s political independence;
(6) Syria’s obligation to withdraw from Lebanon is not
conditioned upon progress in the Israeli-Syrian or Israeli-Leba-
nese peace process but derives from Syria’s obligation under
Security Council Resolution 520;
(7) Syria’s acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and
ballistic missile programs threaten the security of the Middle
East and the national security interests of the United States;
(8) Syria will be held accountable for any harm to Coalition
armed forces or to any United States citizen in Iraq if the
government of Syria is found to be responsible due to its facilita-
tion of terrorist activities and its shipments of military supplies
to Iraq; and
(9) the United States will not provide any assistance to
Syria and will oppose multilateral assistance for Syria until
Syria ends all support for terrorism, withdraws its armed forces
from Lebanon, and halts the development and deployment of
weapons of mass destruction and medium- and long-range sur-
face-to-surface ballistic missiles.
SEC. 5. PENALTIES AND AUTHORIZATION.
(a) PENALTIES.—Until the President makes the determination
that Syria meets all the requirements described in paragraphs
(1) through (4) of subsection (d) and certifies such determination
to Congress in accordance with such subsection—
(1) the President shall prohibit the export to Syria of any
item, including the issuance of a license for the export of
any item, on the United States Munitions List or Commerce
Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration
Regulations (15 CFR part 730 et seq.); and
(2) the President shall impose two or more of the following
sanctions:
(A) Prohibit the export of products of the United States
(other than food and medicine) to Syria.
Certification.
President.
22 USC 2151
note.
22 USC 2151
note.
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117 STAT. 2488
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
(B) Prohibit United States businesses from investing
or operating in Syria.
(C) Restrict Syrian diplomats in Washington, D.C., and
at the United Nations in New York City, to travel only
within a 25-mile radius of Washington, D.C., or the United
Nations headquarters building, respectively.
(D) Prohibit aircraft of any air carrier owned or con-
trolled by Syria to take off from, land in, or overfly the
United States.
(E) Reduce United States diplomatic contacts with
Syria (other than those contacts required to protect United
States interests or carry out the purposes of this Act).
(F) Block transactions in any property in which the
Government of Syria has any interest, by any person, or
with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction
of the United States.
(b) WAIVER.—The President may waive the application of sub-
section (a)(1), (a)(2), or both if the President determines that it
is in the national security interest of the United States to do
so and submits to the appropriate congressional committees a report
containing the reasons for the determination.
(c) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA.—If the
President—
(1) makes the determination that Syria meets the require-
ments described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection
(d) and certifies such determination to Congress in accordance
with such subsection;
(2) determines that substantial progress has been made
both in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement
between Israel and Syria and in negotiations aimed at achieving
a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and
(3) determines that the Government of Syria is strictly
respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and polit-
ical independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive
authority of the Government of Lebanon through the Lebanese
army throughout Lebanon, as required under paragraph (4)
of United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 (1982),
then the President is authorized to provide assistance to Syria
under chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
(relating to development assistance).
(d) CERTIFICATION.—A certification under this subsection is a
certification transmitted to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees of a determination made by the President that—
(1) the Government of Syria has ceased providing support
for international terrorist groups and does not allow terrorist
groups, such as Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—General Com-
mand to maintain facilities in territory under Syrian control;
(2) the Government of Syria ended its occupation of Leb-
anon described in section 2(7) of this Act;
(3) the Government of Syria has ceased the development
and deployment of medium- and long-range surface-to-surface
ballistic missiles, is not pursuing or engaged in the research,
development, acquisition, production, transfer, or deployment
of biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons, has provided cred-
ible assurances that such behavior will not be undertaken
Certification.
Reports.
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117 STAT. 2489
PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1828:
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 108–314 (Comm. on International Relations).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 149 (2003):
Oct. 15, considered and passed House.
Nov. 11, considered and passed Senate, amended.
Nov. 20, House concurred in Senate amendments.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 39 (2003):
Dec. 12, Presidential statement.
in the future, and has agreed to allow United Nations and
other international observers to verify such actions and assur-
ances; and
(4) the Government of Syria has ceased all support for,
and facilitation of, all terrorist activities inside of Iraq,
including preventing the use of territory under its control by
any means whatsoever to support those engaged in terrorist
activities inside of Iraq.
SEC. 6. REPORT.
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 12 months thereafter until the
conditions described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 5(d)
are satisfied, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on—
(1) Syria’s progress toward meeting the conditions described
in paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 5(d);
(2) connections, if any, between individual terrorists and
terrorist groups which maintain offices, training camps, or other
facilities on Syrian territory, or operate in areas of Lebanon
occupied by the Syrian armed forces, and terrorist attacks
on the United States or its citizens, installations, or allies;
and
(3) how the United States is increasing its efforts against
Hizballah and other terrorist organizations supported by Syria.
(b) FORM.—The report submitted under subsection (a) shall
be in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 7. DEFINITION OF APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.
In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’
means the Committee on International Relations of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate.
Approved December 12, 2003.
22 USC 2151
note.
Deadlines.
22 USC 2151
note.
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