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Congress Approves Syria Sanctions Bill
Congress has sent a bill to the White House that requires President
George W. Bush to sanction Syria unless the country immediately
halts development of ballistic missiles, stops producing biological
and chemical weapons, ends its alleged support for terrorism, and
withdraws from Lebanon. However, the bill provides the White House
with broad authority to waive the penalties in the interest of national
security. In acceding to the Senate’s version of the legislation
Nov. 20, the House endorsed a more flexible measure that is supported
by the Bush administration.
Representative Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the author of the original
House bill, said after the 408-8 vote that the bill is “a fair
approach to dealing with the threat that Syria poses to the stability
of the Middle East and to American interests around the world.” Recognizing
the watered-down nature of the measure, however, he urged the president
to “strictly enforce this important legislation.”
The Bush administration was initially reluctant to impose sanctions
on Syria, fearing it would make Mideast peace efforts more difficult.
Administration officials changed their tune after warning Syrian
President Bashar al-Asad, without success, that there would be consequences
if Syria failed to stop its support for terrorism. (See
ACT, November 2003.)
Ever the more cautious chamber, Senate leaders stressed the flexibility
inherent in the measure. “The bill, as amended, adds to the
tools available to the president to move Syria toward a more responsible
course,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard
Lugar (R-Ind.) said on the floor prior to the Senate’s 89-4
vote on Nov. 11. He said the bill “provides the president with
the ability to calibrate U.S. sanctions against Syria in response
to positive Syrian behavior when such adjustment is in the national
security interest of the United States.”
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