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APN Legislative Round-Up - May 18, 2007

I. Bills and Resolutions II. Iran and the Defense Authorization Bill III. Dear Colleagues IV. Berkley, McDermott on the Record on Iran V. NORPAC on the Hill

APN Legislative Round-Up for the week ending May 18, 2007

I. Bills and Resolutions
II. Iran and the Defense Authorization Bill
III. Dear Colleagues
IV. Berkley, McDermott on the Record on Iran
V. NORPAC on the Hill


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I. BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
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(Palestinians) HR 2293: Introduced 5/14/07 by Rep. Ackerman (D-NY) and two cosponsors, "To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on efforts to bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde." Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

(IRAN) HR 2347: Introduced 5/16/07 by Rep. Frank (D-MA) and 7 cosponsors, "To authorize State and local governments to direct divestiture from, and prevent investment in, companies with investments of $20,000,000 or more in Iran's energy sector, and for other purposes." Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committees on Education and Labor, and Oversight and Government Reform.

(IRAN) S.1430: Introduced 5/17/07 by Sens. Obama (D-IL) and Brownback (R-KS), "to authorize State and local governments to direct divestiture from, and prevent investment in, companies with investments of $20,000,000 or more in Iran's energy sector, and for other purposes." Referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

(IRAN) S. Res. 199: Introduced 5/15/07 by Sen. Smith (R-OR) and one cosponsor, "calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Haleh Esfandiari." Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

(SYRIA) HR 2332: Introduced 5/15/07 by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and 28 cosponsors, "To strengthen sanctions against the Government of Syria, to enhance multilateral commitment to address the Government of Syria's threatening policies, to establish a program to support a transition to a democratically-elected government in Syria, and for other purposes." (Note: This is essentially an effort to expand sanctions already passed into law in the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003, HR 1828 in the 108th Congress). Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform.


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II. IRAN AND THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL
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On May 16th the House began debating HR 1585, the FY08 Defense Authorization bill ("To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2008 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes"). The bill was passed by the House on May 17th by a vote of 397-27.

HR 1585 includes one new Iran-related item (not in the original text, but added in committee), Sec. 1049, barring the sale by the Defense Department of parts for F-14 fighter aircraft, since only Iran and the U.S. use F-14s. This provision mirrors language introduced previously in freestanding bills in both the House and Senate (HR 1441 and S. 387, covered in the 3/15/07 and 3/9/07 editions of the Round-Up). HR 1585 also includes language prohibiting the Department of Defense from procuring goods or services from companies that are in violation of the Iran and Syria Non- Proliferation Act (PL 106-178).

In addition, two Iran-related amendments were offered on the floor:

- H. Amdt. 186: Introduced by Rep. Andrews (D- NJ), "to prevent funds authorized in the bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from being obligated or expended to plan a contingency operation in Iran." The amendment was defeated by a vote of 202-216. Speaking on the floor in opposition to the amendment were Skelton (D-MO) and Hunter (R-CA); in support were Kennedy (D- RI) and McDermott (D-WA).

- H. Amdt. 187: Introduced by Rep. DeFazio (D- OR), "to clarify that no previously enacted law authorizes military action against Iran. It also prohibits funding authorized by the bill or in any other act from being used to take military action against Iran without specific authorization from Congress unless there is a `national emergency created by an attack by Iran upon the United States, its territories or possessions or its armed forces' (language taken directly from the War Powers Resolution, P.L. 93-148)." The amendment was defeated by a vote of 136-288. Speaking on the floor in opposition to the amendment were Hunter (R-CA) and Berkley (D-NV); in support were Lee (D-CA) and Hinchey (NY). (A remarkable excerpt from the debate, in which Berkley all but calls for military action against Iran, is included in Section III, below).

In addition, an amendment offered by Rep. Franks (R-AZ) to increase funding for missile defense programs sparked an extensive floor debate, with supporters of the amendment repeatedly invoking the threat of Iranian missiles to support their position. The amendment failed by a vote of 199-226.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) commented on the Andrews and DeFazio amendments in a brief report on May 18th, noting:

"The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly rejected a measure that would have prevented President Bush from using Iraq war funds to strike Iran. The amendment to the defense spending bill, proposed Wednesday night by Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.), would have required congressional approval for such an expenditure. It failed 216-202. A more far-reaching amendment proposed by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D- Ore.) was rejected by 288-136. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which favors a robust posture against any possible Iranian nuclear threat, strongly opposed the amendments. Two Jewish members close to AIPAC, Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), had kept similar language from appearing in the bill's original text. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House speaker, allowed the amendments to go forward to placate anti-war Democrats. Andrews' amendment drew the support of 196 Democrats and six Republicans, and the opposition of 187 Republicans and 29 Democrats. President Bush says he has no intention of striking Iran but won't rule out the option."


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II. DEAR COLLEAGUES
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>On May 10th, Reps. Kirk (R-IL), Schiff (D-CA), Cantor (R-VA), and Rothman (D-NJ) circulated a Dear Colleague seeking co-signers on a letter to Japan's ambassador to the United States. The letter references a report in a Japanese newspaper to the effect that Japan is considering providing direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority. In the letter to the Ambassador, signers write "to express our distress" over this report and to urge Japan not to "undermine the consensus of the Quartet and the current policy of the international community" by providing this assistance.

>On April 27th, Reps. Kirk (R-IL) and Israel (D-NY) circulated a Dear Colleague seeking cosigners on a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing "serious concern over the continuing illegal transfer of arms to the Hezbollah terrorist organization across the Syrian-Lebanese border." The letter asks the Secretary to "work within the [UN Security} Council" to give UNIFIL "the mandate it needs to stop the illegal movements of arms" across this border, and ends with a veiled threat -- noting that the Administration has requested nearly $168 million in the FY08 budget for the U.S. contribution to UNIFIL in addition to $184 million included in the FY07 supplemental request, and stating that "For more than $350 million in U.S. taxpayer assistance, we expect to see a United Nations force with a mandate and funding to stop the re-arming of Hezbollah- -not an expensive observer force that stands by and watches the outbreak of a second war."


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IV. BERKLEY, MCDERMOTT ON THE RECORD ON IRAN
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Berkley 5/16/07 statement opposing DeFazio amendment to the Defense Authorization Act:

"There is no denying that Iran's bloodthirsty regime would gladly destroy the United States, annihilate Israel and destabilize Iraq. Iran's hand in terrorist activities around the Middle East is clear. Iran's President continues to threaten Israel. I believe he stated he would wipe Israel off the map. And he continues to pursue nuclear weapons so he can dominate the Middle East and threaten his neighbors. We have tried to stop Iran from obtaining those weapons. We have increased sanctions on firms that do business with this dangerous regime. We have worked with our allies and the United Nations. And yet with all of these efforts, just yesterday, we learned that the sanctions have done precious little to impede Iran's march towards obtaining nuclear weapons. According to the IAEA, and by Iran's own bravado, Iran is now beginning to enrich uranium on a far larger scale than ever before. Mr. Chairman, this is not the time to be tying our hands on Iran. We all seek a peaceful solution. No one wants another war. But if we don't take a tough stance on Iran and maintain the threat of military action, Iran will get the message that we don't care if it gets nuclear weapons. It will allow the most dangerous regime in the world to continue its quest for regional and world domination, and destroy the only democratic country and the United States' most reliable ally in the region, Israel. I urge opposition to this amendment.

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Floor statement by Rep. McDermott (D-WA), 5/15/07:

Mr. Speaker, we need a vote on whether this country is going to go to war with Iran. We have talked to the Speaker about it. She has promised it. But the time is getting short. Every day that we wait, we allow people down at the White House to continue to talk about this.

The vote we gave in 2002 to allow the President to deal with the problems of 9/11 was not a blank check to attack any country in the world. This war on terror began with some sense in Afghanistan, and then moved to Iraq to the absolute chaos we have today. It is a quagmire from which we can't get ourselves. And, unfortunately, the President and his Vice President are leading us, it appears, toward a war with Iran.

Ask why the urgency? Why do you want to come out here and talk about that tonight? Well, there was an article that appeared today in the Al-Quds Al-Arabi, which is an Arabic paper published in London. It is a very respectable paper, and it is one that most people in this body, in fact most people in this country, never heard of, nor do they understand and will never know about it because our press won't pick it up.

But I read the Middle Eastern press every day. I have some in my office who read Arabic, and they translate it for me, and I get a summary every day in my office of what is going on. This article I think deserves to be quoted a little bit, because people may not get the Congressional Quarterly or the Congressional Record and read it.

The article says this: "Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday ended his tour of the Arab world that started with Iraq and ended in the capitals of four other Arab countries, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. High ranking Arab diplomatic sources close to the talks with Cheney confirmed to the newspaper that the probability of war became more likely than peace in the region."

This is Arabs listening to the Vice President of the United States talk.

"The same sources indicated that Cheney was talking to Gulf leaders he met in a very confident and self-assured way, stressing that the involvement of this country in Iraq does not mean it is in a weak situation and cannot launch another war."

Think about that. The Vice President is telling the Arab leaders, because we are in this mess in Iraq, just ignore that. We still can go to Iran and have a war.

Cheney went and talked to soldiers and sailors on one of the aircraft carriers, "announcing to them," and this again is a quote, "in a decisive manner that the U.S. will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons and that the option of a military attack is not excluded."

Now, he said, again quoting, "Cheney expressed his conviction that striking Iran may be the best solution for the situation in Iraq."

Think about it. We are going to solve our problems in Iraq by attacking Iran. He says, "because Tehran," the capital of Iran, "has the biggest influence in the country and is the source of the arms of the militia."

Now, this is from a man who sent to Iraq a guy named Bremer who took down all the guards and all the barriers at the border between Iran and Iraq, and Iran, of course, has been coming into Iraq. This administration set it up, or else they were ignorant. You can take your choice on that.

He said, "They do not expect that there will be any retaliation by Iraq's Shiite militias. Quite the contrary, the Sunni groups and militias will take the opportunity to settle accounts with the ruling government in Baghdad under American support."

So what he is saying is that the United States is shifting its support from the Maliki government, which is Shiite, and they are now over there telling people, well, we are going to now be supporting the Sunni elements so that they can get--Mr. Speaker, I include the translation of the Al-Quds Al-Arabi article for the Record.

Vice-President Dick Cheney yesterday ended his tour of the Arab world that started with Iraq and included the capitals of four other Arab countries, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, amidst a war of words with the Iranian President Ahamdi Nijad, who launched a diplomatic counter-attack in the form of two sudden visits to the Emirates and to Oman.

High-ranking Arab diplomatic sources close to the talks with Cheney confirmed to Al-Quds Al- Arabi that the probability of war became more likely than peace in the region after the round of meetings of the vice-president, and that the expected meetings between the Iranian and American sides in Baghdad might be the last chance to avoid military confrontation.

The same sources indicated that Cheney was talking to Gulf leaders he met in a very confident and self-assured tone, stressing that the involvement of his country in Iraq does not mean that it is in a weak situation and cannot launch another war, against Iran. Cheney, who visited the troops of his country in Iraq and the Gulf during his last round, made sure that he met American soldiers on an airplane carrier announcing to them in a decisive manner that the US will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, and that the option of a military attack is not excluded. The Iranian President replied against that with severe threats in a press conference in Abu Dhabi, assuring that if they (Americans) make that mistake, the reply of Iran will be very strong and they will regret it. [Amedinejad said] "All the world knows that they cannot beat us and Iran is capable of defending herself, and that the superpowers cannot stop us from possessing nuclear energy."

It was observed that Gulf states have begun searching for alternatives to the Gulf straits to export their oil abroad. There were suggestions to build pipelines to the Red Sea or the Arab Sea across Yemen, due to fears of closing the Strait of Hormuz through which 18 million barrels pass daily. Western analysts expect that Iranian retaliation will include closing the Strait of Hormuz, bombing American bases, and burning down oil wells in the Gulf, in addition to bombing Israel with rockets from Iran directly, through Hezbollah in Lebanon or both.

Cheney expressed his conviction that striking Iran may be the best solution for the situation in Iraq, because Tehran has the biggest influence in the country and is the source of arms for militias. The source added that American estimates do not expect Iraqi Shiite retaliation against American troops in case war breaks out. Quite the contrary, the Sunni groups and militias will take the opportunity to settle accounts with the ruling government in Baghdad under America's support and protection. The same source indicated that Cheney asked his allies (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates) to reassure Sunni groups in Iraq and win them to the American side, passing a message that the U.S. has lost confidence completely in Al- Maliki government because of its failure to control the security situation and to achieve national reconciliation, including giving the Sunnis a bigger role in the decision-making process.

Cheney assured Gulf leaders that the Iranian nuclear reactor of Bushahr that lies on the other side of the Gulf will not be a target for strikes because it has no value and due to the presence of Russian experts at the reactor, and that even if it became a target of strikes, it would not cause pollution to the Gulf waters because it does not have depleted plutonium. Gulf states that obtain 90% of their water from treatment stations on the Gulf shores expressed to American officials their concerns and fears in the face of a water crisis which would be caused if a nuclear leak pollutes the Gulf waters in case of war with Iran.

The same source also confirmed that Cheney's talks in the four capitals focused on Iraq and Iran only and never dealt with the Arab-Israeli conflict. This was explained by a change of roles between Cheney and Rice, with the latter's role confined to the Israeli- Palestinian issue.

In Abu Dhabi, there are currently rumors about Mr. Nijad's asking the Emirates for mediation with Washington in the current nuclear crisis, and that he brought forth new ideas that an Emirate delegation will present to Washington in the next 2 days. The delegation is headed by crown-price and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zaid. The delegation left for Washington, D.C. already and has among its members the foreign minister of the Emirates.


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V. NORPAC on the Hill
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http://www.jstandard.com/articles/2694/1/Norpac %92s-mission-on-the-Hill-accomplished

"Norpac's mission on the Hill accomplished" By Josh Lipowsky

Published May 18, 2007 in the New Jersey Jewish Standard

Some 700 hand-knit Norpac kippot were seen around Capitol Hill last week when the New Jersey-based Israel lobby held its annual mission to Washington.

Between 680 and 700 people on 17 buses broke into 125 groups to meet with 475 members of Congress and staff on Wednesday, May 9, for what Norpac said was its largest mission yet to the capital. Dr. Ben Chouake, Norpac's president, said the group met with 96 senators and 85 percent of the House, its highest number of appointments in its 14 years running the trip.

"This was an immensely successful effort to get people out and into the offices to meet with our leadership," he told The Jewish Standard this week.

On their way to Washington, participants watched a training video and held mock sessions, in addition to receiving the necessary background information and talking points. The groups went first to the Washington Court Hotel, where they heard presentations by members of Congress and AIPAC staff. From there, they proceeded to Capitol Hill for individual meetings.

Although Congress is supportive, for the most part, as regards foreign aid to Israel, the issue still topped Norpac's agenda.

"[Meeting about] foreign aid, to a large extent, is a thank-you," Chouake said, "because the vast majority of Congress supports it. But it's always good to remind [them] how beneficial it is."

Norpac members also sought to garner support for the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act, meant to deprive Iran of the resources needed to further its nuclear program.

"We have gotten a large number of co-sponsors for that bill. The legislation has taken a large step forward because of our mission," Chouake said, although he could not yet say how many members of Congress were swayed by the legislation. "Many congressmen and senators are intimately aware of the problem [with Iran]."

Norpac also spoke on behalf of the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act, which would create grants for alternative energy technology research in Israel, with the goal of making America and its allies energy independent. Norpac wants to see the bill passed this year, with $140 million in grants for Israeli scientists.

Last on the group's agenda was a resolution introduced earlier this year by Rep. Steve Rothman to charge Iran's president with violations of the UN charter and the International Genocide Convention for his calls to wipe Israel off the map.

"We're hoping that all these measures will pass, and the key will be our ongoing relationships with members of Congress," said mission chair and Norpac vice president Dr. Mort Fridman. "We're expecting our members to call and write to make sure the congressmen keep their commitments."

Norpac asked its members to send thank-you notes after the trip, and to try to establish ongoing correspondence with the congressmen and staff they met.

"Very often they can continue the relationship," Chouake said. "If there's a new bill, or a congressman wants to go to Israel, [members] can assist them."

While the majority of the participants had gone on previous missions, this gathering welcomed some 250 first-timers. Participants came from Bergen County, Riverdell, New York City, Edison, and the new Norpac chapter in West Orange, and two buses hailed from a soon-to- form chapter in Long Island, which Chouake said would open in the near future.

"I'm very excited about the Long Island chapter," he said. "The potential in that area is immense; they just have to get a little organized."

Fridman contrasted the successful Norpac mission to the failed effort of hundreds of rabbis who went to Washington in 1943 to implore President Roosevelt to bomb the train tracks leading to the Nazi concentration camps. The rabbis could not get the meeting. Fridman praised the Norpac members and noted the importance of the relationships they have built with Congress.

"These are people who are really patriotic Americans [and] who find it important to participate in our democracy," he said. "Our members feel . they have to strengthen the United States, strengthen Israel, and strengthen the relationship between these nations."

Drawing a distinction between Norpac and the national Israel lobby group AIPAC, Fridman insisted Norpac members are not professional lobbyists.

"We are United States citizens advocating for the strengthening of our own country," he said.


For more information, contact Lara Friedman, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations, at 202/728-1893, or at lfriedman@peacenow.org.