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Congressman Christopher Smith Calls U.N. Report Implicating Syria in Assassination "Extremely Troubling", Will Meet with Amb. John Bolton,Secretary...

Date: Oct. 22, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs


Congressman Christopher Smith Calls U.N. Report Implicating Syria in Assassination "Extremely Troubling", Will Meet with Amb. John Bolton, Secretary General Kofi Annan During U.N. Visit
Saturday, October 22, 2005

Smith to focus on Reform, Human Rights, Trafficking Abuse by U.N. Peacekeepers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ), who was already scheduled to travel to New York for top level U.N. meetings on Monday, called a U.N. investigative report linking high-ranking Syrian officials to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and twenty others "extremely troubling" and joined President Bush in calling for the U.N. Security Council to convene a Security Council session "as quickly as possible."

Smith, who is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee, is the Chairman of the Committee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Relations which has Congressional jurisdiction over U.S. support of U.N. activities.

"The fact that the vicious car bombing in February that killed twenty one people, including Prime Minister Hariri, has now been linked to high level Syrian officials is cause for great concern," said Smith. "The U.N Security Council must take these allegations very seriously, properly analyze the report and determine a proper and timely course of action. All of the parties responsible for this crime must be brought to justice."

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http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/nj04_smith/prUN2.html

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