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United States where they and their descendants have contributed greatly to the fabric of American life;

Whereas Syria has dominated Lebanese politics and political leaders, resulting in a deterioration of Lebanon's human rights situation, the engineering of Lebanese election results to Syria's liking, and the imposition of curbs on Lebanon's media, once the freest in the Arab world;

Whereas Syria has publicly withdrawn its military forces from Lebanon, leaving behind a pro-Syrian intelligence structure within the Lebanese intelligence agencies;

Whereas Congress conditioned the lifting of sanctions on Damascus in the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-175) upon the Government of Syria ending its occupation of Lebanon, including the complete withdrawal of intelligence and all other security-related personnel in Lebanon, and upon other factors;

Whereas the international community has reaffirmed its call for the strict respect of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon through the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004);

Whereas there remains unresolved and as a matter of national and world concern the assassination of Rafiq alHariri, former Lebanese prime minister, which has justly been condemned as a terrorist act;

Whereas the international community has begun investigations into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri and it is the policy of the United States to urge full compliance with the investigations;

HRES 273 IH

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Whereas the international community is considering further action to promote Lebanese sovereignty;

Whereas the emancipation of political prisoners and detainees held in Syrian and Lebanese prisons is a requirement to a national reconciliation and rebuilding of Lebanon's democratic institutions; and

Whereas general elections in Lebanon are scheduled to begin on May 29, 2005: Now, therefore, be it

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Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep

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(1) Syria should complete its withdrawal of all remaining intelligence and security forces from the Lebanese Republic in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004);

(2) Lebanon should allow unfettered access to international monitors verifying compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (2004);

(3) Lebanon should hold free, fair, and transparent elections to begin on May 29, 2005, in accordance with all international standards and agree

ments;

(4) the United States should aid the people of Lebanon in their efforts to restore the separation of powers, the rule of law, and the proper respect for fundamental freedoms of every citizen; and

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(5) it should be the policy of the United States

Government to

(A) support free and fair elections in Lebanon by encouraging international election as

sistance and observers;

(B) urge the development of democratic institutions and safeguards to foster sovereign democratic rule in Lebanon; and

(C) call for the immediate release of all po

litical prisoners and detainees held in Lebanese and Syrian prisons.

HRES 273 IH

H.L.C.

(Original Signature of Member)

109TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION

H. RES.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations member states and urging action against anti-Semitism by United Nations officials, United Nations member states, and the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding manifestations of anti-Semitism by United Nations member states and urging action against anti-Semitism by United Nations officials, United Nations member states, and the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that "the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human fam

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H.L.C.

ily is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world";

Whereas United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (1975) concluded that "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination" and the General Assembly, by a vote of 111 to 25, only revoked Resolution 3379 in 1991 in response to strong leadership by the United States and after Israel made its participation in the Madrid Peace Conference conditional upon repeal of the resolution; Whereas during the 1991 session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations repeated the outrageous "blood libel" that Jews allegedly have killed non-Jewish children to make unleavened bread for Passover and, despite repeated interventions by the Governments of Israel and the United States, this outrageous lie was not corrected in the record of the Commission for many months;

Whereas in March 1997, the Palestinian observer at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights made the contemptible charge that the Government of Israel had injected 300 Palestinian children with HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus, the pathogen that causes AIDS) despite the fact that an Egyptian newspaper had printed a full retraction to its earlier report of the same charges, and the President of the Commission failed to challenge this baseless and false accusation despite the request of the Government of Israel that he do so;

Whereas Israel was denied membership in any regional grouping of the United Nations until the year 2000, which prevented it from being a candidate for any elected positions within the United Nations system until that time, and Israel continues to be denied the opportunity

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