Affirming Support for the Sovereignty and Security of Lebanon and the Lebanese People

AFFIRMING SUPPORT FOR THE SOVEREIGNTY AND SECURITY OF LEBANON AND THE LEBANESE PEOPLE -- (House of Representatives - September 25, 2006)

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Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the amended version of House Resolution 1017, introduced by my colleague and friend, Mr. Lantos, which affirms support for the sovereignty and security of Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

Madam Speaker, what this resolution now does is urge the government of Lebanon to request assistance from the international community for military and other forms of support in securing their border with Syria in order to end the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.

I want to thank Chairman Hyde for playing an instrumental role in negotiating language that addresses these concerns and enables the government of Lebanon to engage with and work closely with the international community so as to prevent another crisis in the region.

The resolution recognizes the courageous efforts made by many Lebanese in their independent uprising on March 14, 2005, and commends the democratically elected government of Lebanon for their ongoing efforts to restore sovereignty and security throughout its territory.

Despite the remarkable achievements of the Cedar Revolution, the government of Lebanon continues to experience challenges to its rule and sovereignty. Targeted killings of public figures and the recent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel illustrate the dangers of Lebanon's inability to control its borders and to provide sovereign support for all of its people. The war between Israel and Hezbollah was not a war between Lebanon and Israel, but it was a war all the same that Lebanon felt.

Tonight, with this resolution, we are providing the encouragement and support to ensure that Lebanon is able to assert its sovereignty and, as such, assert its ability to live in peace with its neighbors.

Madam Speaker, there is no greater role this Congress can play than to send a message, as we are here tonight on a bipartisan basis, to the people of Lebanon that their democracy, founded in 1943 and reestablished less than a year and a half ago, is a priority of this Congress and that we will stand in support of the Lebanese people and a democracy.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ISSA. I will close by noting that this is a very special evening tonight in this resolution. There are only four Arab American Members of Congress, CHARLES BOUSTANY, RAY LAHOOD, NICK RAHALL, and myself. It is uncommon for the kind of bipartisan support between all of us to come together on something. But the importance of Lebanese sovereignty and of a stable Lebanese democracy bring us together, and they are all cosponsors of the bill along with the gentleman, Mr. Lantos.

In listening to Mr. Lantos, I have to say that never before have the two of us agreed so much on what must be done. The only thing that I noted when he was talking about the borders between Lebanon and Syria was that even today there are borders between Lebanon and Syria that have never been identified under an international law, and that is something, too, that a sovereign, stable, and able to enforce its own borders Lebanon would quickly be able to go to the United Nations and assert its fair international border; and I look forward to that.

Last, in closing, I share with the gentleman from California and all the Members of Congress the call that he made for the return of the hostages taken from Israeli sovereign territory that in fact began the conflict that we are today trying to end forever by establishing a sovereign Lebanon, and part of that sovereignty will be to ensure that those Israeli soldiers are returned from Lebanon back to Israel, to their parents, to their families.

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