Syria Accountability Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) Syria should halt support for terrorism, withdraw armed forces from Lebanon, stop develpment of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and halt imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil; (2) Lebanon and Syria should enter into bilateral negotiations for peace with Israel; and (3) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon only through private and international organizations until the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty over its borders.
Declares U.S. policy that Syria: (1) will be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism until it stops supporting terrorism; (2) is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory; and (3) has violated Resolution 661 by purchasing oil from Iraq. Declares that restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty is in the U.S. national interest.
Requires the President, unless the President certifies that Syria does not support international terrorist groups or allow them to maintain facilities in Syria, has withdrawn all security personnel from Lebanon, has ceased the development of ballistic missiles and biological and chemical weapons, and is no longer violating Resolution 661, to: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of specified defense articles or services and items on the Commerce Control List; and (2) impose two or more of specified sanctions (including prohibiting U.S. exports to, or U.S. businesses investments or operations in, Syria).
Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon if the President: (1) makes that certification; (2) determines that progress has been made toward negotiating peace agreements between Israel, Syria, and Lebanon; and (3) determines that Syria is strictly respecting Lebanon's sovereignty.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 982 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 982
To halt Syrian support for terrorism, end its occupation of Lebanon,
stop its development of weapons of mass destruction, cease its illegal
importation of Iraqi oil, and hold Syria accountable for its role in
the Middle East, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 1, 2003
Mrs. Boxer (for herself and Mr. Santorum) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To halt Syrian support for terrorism, end its occupation of Lebanon,
stop its development of weapons of mass destruction, cease its illegal
importation of Iraqi oil, and hold Syria accountable for its role 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 Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373
(September 28, 2001) mandates that all states ``refrain from
providing 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''.
(2) The Government of Syria is currently prohibited by
United States law from receiving United States assistance
because it is listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.
(3) Although the Secretary 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 the Secretary lists as a state
sponsor of terrorism.
(4) Terrorist groups, including Hizballah, Hamas, the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine-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.
(5) United Nations Security Council Resolution 520
(September 17, 1982) calls for ``strict respect of the
sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political
independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority
of the Government of Lebanon through the Lebanese Army
throughout Lebanon''.
(6) More than 20,000 Syrian troops and security personnel
occupy much of the sovereign territory of Lebanon, thereby
exerting undue influence upon its government and undermining
its political independence.
(7) Since 1990 the Senate and House of Representatives have
passed seven bills and resolutions calling for the withdrawal
of Syrian armed forces from Lebanon.
(8) 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.
(9) 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.
(10) Even in the face of this United Nations certification
that acknowledged Israel's full compliance with Resolution 425,
Syria permits attacks by Hizballah and other militant
organizations on Israeli outposts at Shebaa Farms, under the
false guise that it remains Lebanese land. Syria also permits
attacks on civilian targets in Israel.
(11) 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.
(12) As a result, the Israeli-Lebanese border and much of
southern Lebanon is under the control of Hizballah, which
continues to attack Israeli positions and allows Iranian
Revolutionary Guards and other militant groups to operate
freely in the area, destabilizing the entire region.
(13) The United States provides $40,000,000 in assistance
to the Lebanese people through private nongovernmental
organizations, $7,900,000 of which is provided to Lebanese-
American educational institutions.
(14) In the State of the Union address on January 29, 2002,
President George W. 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''.
(15) The Government of Syria continues to develop and
deploy short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
(16) The Government of Syria is pursuing the development
and production of biological and chemical weapons.
(17) United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 (August
6, 1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions restrict the sale
of oil and other commodities by Iraq, except to the extent
authorized by other relevant resolutions.
(18) Syrian President Bashar Assad promised the Secretary
of State in February 2001 to end violations of Security Council
Resolution 661 but this pledge has not been fulfilled.
(19) In direct violation of United Nations Sanctions, Syria
has been importing 200,000 barrels of Iraqi oil on a daily
basis since 2000, which has provided Iraq with up to
$1,200,000,000 annually.
(20) There are reports that Syria is pursuing the
development of chemical weapons, such as VX and Sarin, and is
harboring fugitive Iraqi officials.
(21) On April 20, 2003, President Bush said there were
positive signs that Syria will cooperate on the issue of
harboring fugitive Iraqi officials.
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, the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command;
(2) in accordance with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 520 (September 17, 1982), which calls for the strict
respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity,
the Government of Syria should immediately declare its
commitment to completely withdraw its armed forces, including
military, paramilitary, and security forces, from Lebanon, and
set a firm schedule for such withdrawal;
(3) the Government of Syria should halt the development and
deployment of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and
cease the development and production of biological and chemical
weapons;
(4) the Government of Syria should halt illegal imports and
transshipments of Iraqi oil and come into full compliance with
United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 and subsequent
relevant resolutions;
(5) 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; and
(6) the United States should continue to provide
humanitarian and educational assistance to the people of
Lebanon only through appropriate private, nongovernmental
organizations 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.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States that--
(1) Syria should bear responsibility for all attacks
committed by Hizballah and other terrorist groups with offices
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 security 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 its political independence;
(6) Syria's obligation to withdraw from Lebanon is not
conditioned upon progress in the Israeli-Syrian or Israeli-
Lebanese 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 interests of the United States;
(8) Syria has violated United Nations Security Council
Resolution 661 (August 6, 1990) and subsequent relevant
resolutions by purchasing oil from Iraq; and
(9) the United States will restrict assistance to Syria and
will oppose multilateral assistance for Syria until Syria
withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, halts the development
and deployment of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missiles, and complies with Security Council Resolution 661 and
subsequent relevant resolutions.
SEC. 5. PENALTIES AND AUTHORIZATION.
(a) Sanctions.--Unless the President makes the certification
described in subsection (d), the President shall take the following
actions:
(1) Prohibit the export to Syria, and prohibit the issuance
of a license for the export to Syria, of--
(A) any defense articles or defense services for
which special export controls are warranted under the
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), as
identified on the United States Munitions List
maintained under section 121.1 of title 22, Code of
Federal Regulations; and
(B) any item identified on the Commerce Control
List maintained under part 774 of title 15, Code of
Federal Regulations.
(2) 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.
(B) Prohibit United States businesses from
investing or operating in Syria.
(C) Restrict travel of Syrian diplomats assigned to
Washington, District of Columbia or the United Nations
in New York, New York, to a 25-mile radius of
Washington or the United Nations headquarters building,
respectively.
(D) 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).
(E) 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 paragraph
(2) of subsection (a) if--
(1) the President determines that it is in the national
security interest of the United States to do so; and
(2) submits to the appropriate congressional committees a
report that contains the reasons for such determination.
(c) Authority To Provide Assistance to Syria and Lebanon.--The
President is authorized to provide assistance to Syria and Lebanon
under chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) (relating to development assistance), if the
President--
(1) makes the certification described in subsection (d);
(2) determines that substantial progress has been made in
negotiations aimed at achieving--
(A) a peace agreement between Israel and Syria; and
(B) a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon;
and
(3) determines that the Government of Syria is strictly
respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and
political 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).
(d) Certification.--The President shall transmit to the appropriate
congressional committees a certification of any determination made by
the President that--
(1) the Government of Syria does not--
(A) provide support for international terrorist
groups; and
(B) allow terrorist groups, such as Hamas,
Hizballah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine--General Command to maintain facilities in
Syria;
(2) the Government of Syria has withdrawn all Syrian
military, intelligence, and other security personnel from
Lebanon;
(3) the Government of Syria has ceased the development and
deployment of ballistic missiles and has ceased the development
and production of biological and chemical weapons; and
(4) the Government of Syria is no longer in violation of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 or a subsequent
relevant United Nations resolution.
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
President makes the certification described in section 5(d), the
Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report on--
(1) the progress made by the Government of Syria toward
meeting the conditions described in paragraphs (1) through (4)
of section 5(d); and
(2) any connection between individual terrorists and
terrorist groups that maintain offices, training camps, or
other facilities on Syrian territory, or operate in areas of
Lebanon occupied by the Syrian armed forces, and the attacks
against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001,
and other terrorist attacks on the United States or its
citizens, installations, or allies.
(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 Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5674)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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