Hearing before the Committee on International Relations (excerpt) 7 March 2001
Rep. Eliot Engel: Last year Israel withdrew its small number of troops from the former security zone in Lebanon. The U.N. has confirmed Israel's complete withdrawal, and the secretary general praised Israel's action. Meanwhile, while Israel is taking steps to peace, the militant Hezbollah organization, with support from Iran and Syria, continues its terrorist campaign against Israel's northern border. At the same time, Syria occupies much of Lebanon, with 35,000 military and intelligence personnel, and controls much of Lebanon's government. During and since the last Lebanese elections, however, a multireligious opposition movement is taking root, which is standing against Syria's continued occupation of Lebanon.
My questions are: What is the United States doing to halt Hezbollah's terrorist attacks on Israel? Are we pressuring the Lebanese to deploy their army to the south and take control of the region? And is it still the policy of the United States that all Syrian forces should withdraw from Lebanon? And what are we doing to press Syria to withdraw? In conjunction with this, will Syria remain on the State Department list of terrorist nations? And what is our country doing to encourage the new democratic opposition movement in Lebanon?
Secretary of State Colin Powell:We have expressed our regret that Hezbollah continues to take such action. In my meeting with President Bashir Assad in Damascus about 10 days ago I made that point to him, and requested that he do what he could to restrain Hezbollah activities in South Lebanon. We believe that it would be for the benefit of all parties if eventually at some point -- I'd like to see it tomorrow, but it isn't going to happen tomorrow -- for the Syrian army to leave Lebanon. And with respect to Syria being on the terrorist list, they remain on the terrorist list. With respect to I think you said supporting dissident elements in Lebanon, I don't have an answer for you on that one, sir, and I will have to take a look at what programs might be going on that I am not yet aware of.
