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“SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S9235 on July 10, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I wish to discuss S. 982, the Syria Accountability Act. Senator Santorum and I introduced this legislation on May 1. In just over 2 months, this bill has received 63 cosponsors.
After discussing this issue with Senator Lugar, the chairman of the Senator Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Santorum and I have decided against offering this legislation as an amendment to the State Department authorization bill.
Senator Lugar has agreed to hold a hearing in his committee on the issue of Syria in the near future. I am very grateful for his cooperation. The Syria Accountability Act would expand U.S. diplomatic and economic sanctions against Syria unless a certification can be made that Syria no longer supports terrorism, has withdrawn from Lebanon, and has ended its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
The legislation does not in any way advocate the use of force against Syria. The goal is to give the President and the Secretary of State the ability to exert economic and political leverage on Syria because of the serious policy concerns we have with the Syrian government.
It is well known that terrorist organizations like Hizballah, Hamas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine maintain offices, training camps, and other facilities on Syrian territory and in areas of Lebanon occupied by the Syrian armed forces. This bill addresses this issue by confronting the Government of Syria in a diplomatic way that shows the seriousness of our concerns.
The Syria Accountability Act of 2003 would impose various sanctions on Syria, including a prohibition on the export of defense and dual-use items. In addition, the act requires the President to impose two or more of the following sanctions: 1, prohibiting the export of products of the U.S. other than food and medicine to Syria, 2, prohibiting U.S. businesses from investing or operating in Syria, 3, restricting Syrian diplomats in Washington, DC and at the United Nations to travel only within a 25-mile radius of Washington, DC or the United Nations, respectively, 4, reducing U.S. diplomatic contacts with Syria, and 5, blocking transactions in any property in which the Government of Syria has any interest.
The President is authorized to waive any or all of these five sanctions if it is in the national security interest of the United States. It is imperative that we hold all nations that are responsible for the proliferation of international terrorism and regional instability in the Middle East fully accountable for their actions. If we do not, the credibility of our antiterrorism efforts diminishes, along with our chances for victory over terrorism and for truly positive change in the Middle East. I thank the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee for his assistance.
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