Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/2502

 PUBLIC LAW 108–175—DEC. 12, 2003

117 STAT. 2483

(6) 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’’. (7) Approximately 20,000 Syrian troops and security personnel 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 (11) Israel has withdrawn all of its armed forces from Lebanon in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 (March 19, 1978), as certified by the United Nations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 Revolutionary 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 Syrianand 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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