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Skriven 2006-04-27 00:07:46 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0604262) for Thu, 2006 Apr 27
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Message to the Congress of the United States
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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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