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 Home > News & Policies > April 2006

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 26, 2006

Message to the Congress of the United States

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order blocking property of persons in connection with the terrorist act in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 14, 2005, that resulted in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and the deaths of 22 others, and other bombings or assassination attempts in Lebanon since October 1, 2004, that are related to Hariri's assassination or that implicate the Government of Syria or its officers or agents. I issued this order to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, concerning certain actions of the Government of Syria. In Executive Order 13338, I determined that the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction, and undermining United States and international efforts in Iraq constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and declared a national emergency to deal with that threat.

The United Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1595 of April 7, 2005, established the international independent investigation Commission (the "Commission"), reiterated its call for the strict respect of the sovereignty of Lebanon, and reaffirmed its unequivocal condemnation of the February 14, 2005, terrorist bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others. The Commission's charter included identifying the bombing perpetrators, sponsors, organizers, and accomplices. United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1636 of October 31, 2005, called upon all States to provide necessary assistance to the Commission concerning its investigation into the February 14, 2005, terrorist bombing and to freeze the assets of those persons designated by the Commission or the Government of Lebanon as suspected of involvement in this terrorist act, upon notification of such designation to, and agreement of, the Committee of the Security Council established by UNSCR 1636. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1644 of December 15, 2005, condemned other terrorist attacks in Lebanon since October 2004 and reaffirmed that all those involved in these attacks must be held accountable for these crimes, and in doing so, authorized the Commission to extend its technical assistance to Lebanese authorities with regard to their investigations regarding the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 2004.

In view of UNSCR 1636, my new order takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 by blocking the property and interests in property of persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, to be, or to have been, involved in the planning, sponsoring, organizing, or perpetrating of the terrorist act on February 14, 2005, that resulted in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and the deaths of 22 others, or any other bombing, assassination, or assassination attempt in Lebanon since October 1, 2004, that is related to Hariri's assassination or that implicates the Government of Syria or its officers and agents, or to have obstructed or otherwise impeded the work of the Commission. The order further authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking those persons determined to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, any such terrorist act, bombings, or assassination attempts, or any person designated pursuant to this order, or to be owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person designated pursuant to this order.

I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA and the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c), as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of my order. The order was effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 26, 2006.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

April 26, 2006.

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