[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 329 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 329
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the activities of Islamist
terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 22, 2005
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself and Mr. Lantos) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the activities of Islamist
terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.
Whereas the brutal attacks of September 11, 2001, demonstrated that terrorists
can strike anywhere in the world;
Whereas terrorist activity that goes unaddressed is an invitation for terrorist
organizations to carry out attacks against the United States, our allies
and interests;
Whereas the Department of State has concluded in its most recent Country Reports
on Terrorism, which was released in April 2005, that although the threat
of international terrorism in the Western Hemisphere remains relatively
low as compared to other world regions, international terrorists may
seek safe-haven, financing, recruiting, illegal travel documentation, or
access to the United States from Latin American and Caribbean countries
and thus pose serious threats;
Whereas in recent years, the activities of Islamist terrorist organizations in
the Western Hemisphere has focused on financing their criminal and
terrorist activities outside of the region rather than carrying out or
directly supporting terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas, as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and the 1994
bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Argentina clearly showed,
international terrorist organizations, such as Hezbollah, are ready,
willing, and able to carry out attacks in the Western Hemisphere,
including in the United States;
Whereas since at least the AMIA bombing in 1994, Hezbollah has maintained
networks in the tri-border area of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina--
primarily focusing on fundraising and recruitment;
Whereas in May 2003, a relative of Assad Ahmad Barakat, the reputed head of
Hezbollah in the tri-border area, was arrested at the airport in
Asuncion, Paraguay, in what Paraguayan police believe was a scheme to
sell drugs in Syria, with proceeds reaching Hezbollah forces in Lebanon;
Whereas Barakat, a Lebanese-born Paraguayan, is himself in custody in Brazil
awaiting extradition to Paraguay after raids on his businesses in
Paraguay's tri-border area found evidence that he transferred tens of
millions of United States dollars to Hezbollah in Lebanon;
Whereas there have been media reports of Hezbollah sympathizers and financiers
also conducting black market activities in Iquique, Chile; Maicao,
Colombia; Margarita Island, Venezuela; and Colon, Panama;
Whereas the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has also been known to raise funds
in the tri-border area;
Whereas in a 2002 court case, one of the two Lebanese men who were convicted of
financing Hezbollah with $2,000,000 in illegal cigarette sales in the
United States entered the United States illegally from Venezuela;
Whereas earlier this past year, a Lebanese individual from Detroit who was
charged with supporting Hezbollah financially, and described by the
United States Attorney in the case as a ``fighter, recruiter, and
fundraiser,'' reportedly entered the United States illegally from
Mexico;
Whereas a number of media reports have raised concerns that al-Qaeda operatives
may be seeking to establish a presence in the Western Hemisphere;
Whereas officials in both the United States and El Salvador confirmed earlier
this year that ``Mara Salvatrucha,'' a violent gang with roots in the
Salvadoran civil war and branches in several United States States, had
met with al-Qaeda;
Whereas in 2004, the Honduran Security Minister is reported to have claimed that
Adnan Shukrijumah, a Saudi-born terrorist who the Honduran Security
Minister has linked to al-Qaeda, was spotted in an Internet cafe in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras;
Whereas several members of the Egyptian Islamic Group have been arrested in
Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia since 1998;
Whereas Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has reportedly instructed his followers to travel
to Brazil with the eventual goal of entering the United States through
Mexico to carry out terrorist attacks;
Whereas Ashref Ahmed Abdallah, an Egyptian national who is one of the most
significant human smuggling targets, was arrested by United States
authorities at Miami International Airport in July 2004 for using
Central America and Brazil as a staging ground for smuggling illegal
aliens from countries of the Middle East, including special interest
countries that are linked to international terrorism, into the United
States;
Whereas recent press reports state that United States intelligence has tracked
several al-Qaeda operatives through Panama as either a base of
operations or a transit point for operations;
Whereas the activities of sympathizers and financiers of Islamist terrorist
organizations in the Western Hemisphere represent a potential threat to
the United States, our allies and interests;
Whereas section 7102 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of
2004 (Public Law 108-458; 22 U.S.C. 2656f note) amends United States law
to identify and address emerging and current terrorist sanctuaries and
secure international cooperation to combat this threat;
Whereas many countries of the Western Hemisphere have cooperated with the United
States and regional organizations to counter the threat of regional and
international terrorism, including by participating in joint
counterterrorism training and simulations, Counterterrorism Action Group
(CTAG) meetings which are hosted by United States embassies, and the
Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Organization
of American States (OAS); and
Whereas, despite these efforts, many factors within the Western Hemisphere
contribute to creating an environment which is conducive for future
activities by international terrorist organizations: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the potential threat that sympathizers and
financiers of Islamist terrorist organizations that operate in
the Western Hemisphere pose to the United States, our allies
and interests;
(2) acknowledges the commitment and cooperation of some
governments of countries of the Western Hemisphere to deny the
use of their territory to Islamist terrorist organizations and
calls on all governments to intensify their efforts; and
(3) encourages the President to direct the United States
Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS)
to--
(A) seek support from OAS member countries for the
creation of a special task force of the Inter-American
Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE) to assist
governments in the region in investigating and
combatting the proliferation of Islamist terrorist
organizations in the Western Hemisphere and to
coordinate regional efforts to prevent the spread of
this threat; and
(B) urge OAS member countries to designate
Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda
and its constituent entities, and other such groups as
terrorist organizations if they have not already done
so.
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