Supporting the findings of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission that is investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, condemning the Government of Syria for its apparent involvement in this terrorist attack, and demanding compliance by Syria with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1595.

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 510 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 510

Supporting the findings of the United Nations International Independent
Investigation Commission that is investigating the assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, condemning the Government
of Syria for its apparent involvement in this terrorist attack, and
demanding compliance by Syria with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1595.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 25, 2005

Mr. Wexler (for himself, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Ackerman, Mr.
Menendez, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Tancredo, Mr. Issa, and Mr. McCotter)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Supporting the findings of the United Nations International Independent
Investigation Commission that is investigating the assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, condemning the Government
of Syria for its apparent involvement in this terrorist attack, and
demanding compliance by Syria with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1595.

Whereas Rafik Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in
a terrorist attack on February 14, 2005, that killed 22 others and
injured more than 100 people;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement
(February 15, 2005) condemning the terrorist bombing that killed former
Prime Minister Hariri and calling on ``the Lebanese Government to bring
to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of this heinous
terrorist act'';
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1595 (April 7, 2005)
established an International Independent Investigation Commission
(UNIIIC) based in Lebanon to assist the Lebanese authorities in their
investigation of all aspects of the terrorist attack that killed former
Prime Minister Hariri;
Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan notified the United
Nations Security Council that the UNIIIC, led by German prosecutor
Detlev Mehlis, was declared operational on June 16, 2005;
Whereas during the course of the investigation--from June 16, 2005, through
October 6, 2005--the UNIIIC issued 244 witness statements, 293
investigator notes, and 22 suspect statements, producing 16,711 pages of
documents with the assistance of investigators from 17 different
countries;
Whereas the UNIIIC focused on the crime scene, analysis of telephone intercepts,
the testimony of more than 500 witnesses and sources, and received
support from the Government of Lebanon and other national and
international entities;
Whereas on October 19, 2005, Commissioner Mehlis presented the UNIIIC's findings
to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan;
Whereas the UNIIIC report concluded that the assassination of former Prime
Minister Hariri was carried out by a group with extensive resources and
capabilities, and that the crime had been prepared over the course of
several months;
Whereas the UNIIIC report concluded that the decision to assassinate former
Prime Minister Hariri ``could not have been taken without the approval
of top-ranked Syrian security officials and could not have been further
organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese
security forces'';
Whereas the UNIIIC report established that leads in the investigation pointed
directly toward senior Syrian security and military officials as being
involved with the assassination, including the former Syrian
Intelligence Chief in Lebanon, General Rustum Ghazali;
Whereas the UNIIIC report found: ``[T]he context of the assassination of Mr.
Hariri was one of extreme political polarization and tension.
Accusations and counter accusations targeting mainly Mr. Hariri over the
period proceeding his assassination corroborate the Commission
conclusion that the likely motive of the assassination was political.'';
Whereas the UNIIIC report found that ``[t]he apparent growing conflict between
Mr. Hariri and senior Syrian officials, including Syrian President
Bashar Assad, was a central aspect of the information provided to the
Commission through interviews and documents'';
Whereas the UNIIIC report found that ``[a] meeting in Damascus between Mr.
Hariri and President Assad on August 26, 2004 appeared to bring the
conflict to a head'' culminating with President Assad allegedly
threatening Mr. Hariri if he opposed the extension of Lebanese President
Emile Lahoud's term; and
Whereas the UNIIIC report found: ``While the Syrian authorities, after initial
hesitation, have cooperated to a limited degree with the Commission,
several interviewees tried to mislead the investigation by giving false
or inaccurate statements. The letter addressed to the Commission by the
Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic proved to contain false
information. The full picture of the assassination can only be reached
through an extensive and credible investigation that would be conducted
in an open and transparent manner to the full satisfaction of
international scrutiny.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the Government of Syria for its apparent
involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri;
(2) supports the findings of the United Nations
International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC),
led by Detlev Mehlis, which assisted the Lebanese authorities
in their investigation of all aspects of the terrorist attack
that killed former Prime Minister Hariri;
(3) demands Syrian President Bashar Assad and the
Government of Syria fully cooperate with international and
Lebanese efforts to further investigate the assassination of
former Prime Minister Hariri and bring those responsible to
justice;
(4) supports the full implementation of United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1595 (April 7, 2005), which calls
on all states and parties to fully cooperate with the UNIIIC
and provide it with any relevant information they may possess
pertaining to this terrorist attack;
(5) directs the United States Permanent Representative to
the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the
United States in the United Nations Security Council to demand
Syrian compliance with the ongoing UNIIIC investigation under
Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, given evidence linking
the Syrian regime to the assassination of former Prime Minister
Hariri and Syria's failure to abide by the provisions of
Security Council Resolution 1595; and
(6) urges the Government of the United States to actively
support ongoing international and Lebanese efforts to
investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri
and bring its perpetrators to justice, including through
support of the establishment of an international tribunal, if
so requested by the Government of Lebanon.
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