For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 11, 2004
Message to the Congress of the United States
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b) (IEEPA), and section 301 of the
National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631, I hereby report that I have
issued an Executive Order (order) in which I declared a national
emergency with respect to the threat constituted by certain actions of
the Government of Syria. Further, in accordance with subsection 5(b)
of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of
2003 (SAA), Public Law 108-175, this message also constitutes the
report on my exercise of the waiver authority pursuant to that
statute.
On December 12, 2003, I signed into law the SAA in order to
strengthen the ability of the United States to effectively confront the
threat to U.S. national security posed by Syria's support for
terrorism, its military presence in Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of
mass destruction, and its actions to undermine U.S. and international
efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq.
These policies by the Government of Syria directly threaten regional
stability and undermine the U.S. goal of a comprehensive Middle East
peace. Despite many months of diplomatic efforts to convince the
Government of Syria to change its behavior, Syria has not taken
significant, concrete steps to address the full range of U.S. concerns,
which were clearly conveyed by Secretary of State Powell to Syrian
President Asad in May 2003. I find the actions, policies, and
circumstances described above sufficiently grave to constitute a threat
to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United
States, and thus have declared a national emergency to address that
threat.
In implementation of subsection 5(a) of the SAA, in the order I
directed that action be taken to prohibit the export to Syria of
products of the United States other than food and medicine, including
but not limited to items on the United States Munitions List or
Commerce Control List, and I prohibited commercial air services between
Syria and the United States by aircraft of any air carrier owned or
controlled by Syria, as well as certain non-traffic stops by such
aircraft.
It is important to the national security interests of the United
States, however, that certain discrete categories of exports continue
in order to support activities of the United States Government and
United Nations agencies, to facilitate travel by United States persons,
for certain humanitarian purposes, to help maintain aviation safety,
and to promote the exchange of information. Also, it is important to
U.S. national security interests that aviation-related sanctions take
into account humanitarian and diplomatic concerns as well as the
international obligations of the United States.
Accordingly, I have waived the application of subsections 5(a)(1)
and 5(a)(2)(A) of the SAA to permit the export and reexport of:
products in support of activities of the United States Government to
the extent that such exports would not otherwise fall within my
constitutional authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and
protect national security; medicines on the Commerce Control List and
medical devices; aircraft parts and components for purposes of flight
safety; exports and reexports consistent with the 5(a)(2)(D) waiver
outlined below; information and informational materials, as well as
telecommunications equipment and associated items to promote the free
flow of information; certain software and technology; products in
support of United Nations operations; and, certain exports and
reexports of a temporary nature. These items are further identified in
the Department of Commerce's General Order No. 2, as issued consistent
with my order. I have also waived the application of subsection
5(a)(2)(D) to permit the following with respect to aircraft of any air
carrier owned or controlled by Syria: takeoffs or landings of such
aircraft when chartered by the Government of Syria to transport Syrian
government officials to the United States on official Syrian government
business; takeoffs or landings for non-traffic stops of such aircraft
that are not engaged in scheduled international air services; takeoffs
and landings associated with an emergency; and overflights of U.S.
territory.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 11, 2004.
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