October 1, 2003
U.S Committee for a Free Lebanon Action Alert http://www.freelebanon.org/
To: Friends of Lebanon around the World
Immediate Action Necessary
PLEASE URGE YOUR SENATORS TO CO-SPONSOR
THE SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2003, S. 982.
PLEASE URGE YOUR AREA REPRESENTATIVES TO CO-SPONSOR
THE SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEBANESE SOVEREIGNTY
RESTORATION ACT OF 2003, H.R. 1828.
The Syria Accountability Act is an important legislative priority for the USCFL and for the Lebanese American community at large. The bill addresses the grave threat that Syria poses to peace and security in the Middle East and, indeed, the entire world.
If your Senator or Representative has not yet co-sponsored this crucial bipartisan legislation, please urge him or her to do so as soon as possible.
Below you will find key points you can raise in your letter or phone call.
Summary:
Syria actively supports terrorism and harbors terrorist organizations. It occupies Lebanon. It has deployed ballistic missiles and is developing weapons of mass destruction. In addition, Syria poses a significant and growing threat to regional security and world stability. Its activities dramatically intensify the Arab-Israeli conflict. America’s national security interests—including our commitments to the war on terrorism and to resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict—require us to address this threat now.
Talking points:
Syria is one of the world’s leading sponsors of terrorism and safe havens for terrorists. Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist organizations maintain training camps and offices in Syria, and receive support from the government. The U.S. State Department lists Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Syria occupies Lebanon—with more than 20,000 troops—and prohibits Lebanon from maintaining its own security forces in its south; it thereby violates international law and the sovereignty of Lebanon.
Syria allows Hizballah and other terrorist groups to operate freely in southern Lebanon posing a major obstacle to peace and stability. From southern Lebanon, Hizballah regularly carries out missile and other attacks against Israel, America’s closest ally in the region.
On its own soil, Syria has developed—and deployed—rockets and ballistic missiles. Alarmingly, Syria reportedly is developing an increasingly large and sophisticated stockpile of chemical weapons, including chemical warheads for its Scud missiles.
This legislation does not threaten military action against Syria. Rather, it requires the imposition of export and other economic sanctions until the U.S. President certifies that Syria has ceased specific egregious behaviors. The bills leave the President significant discretion in choosing and implementing the sanctions. Today, fewer U.S. sanctions apply to Syria that to any other state sponsor of terrorism; these bills simply redress that imbalance.
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