U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), who was already scheduled to travel to New York for top level U.N. meetings on Monday, called a U.N. investigative report linking high-ranking Syrian officials to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and twenty others “extremely troubling” and joined President Bush in calling for the U.N. Security Council to convene a Security Council session “as quickly as possible.” 

    Smith, who is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee, is the Chairman of the Committee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Relations which has Congressional jurisdiction over U.S. support of U.N. activities. 

    “The fact that the vicious car bombing in February that killed twenty one people, including Prime Minister Hariri, has now been linked to high level Syrian officials is cause for great concern,” said Smith. “The U.N Security Council must take these allegations very seriously, properly analyze the report and determine a proper and timely course of action. All of the parties responsible for this crime must be brought to justice.” 

    Smith had already been scheduled to visit the U.N. on Monday, October 24, when news of the report broke. Throughout the course of the day, Smith will meet with: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton; U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan; UNICEF head Ann Veneman; Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez; U.N. Human Rights Council Co-Chairman; and Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary-General for Mission Support in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

    The multi-purpose visit will primarily focus on U.N. reform – particularly on human rights issues – and sexual exploitation and abuses by U.N. peacekeepers. Earlier this year Smith held hearings about the gross sexual misconduct and exploitation of refugees by U.N. peacekeepers and civilian personnel assigned to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent years, the U.N. has struggled to deal with similar allegations in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that procedures to curb sexual abuse by peacekeepers were not being put into place because of a “deep-seated culture of tolerating sexual exploitation.” 

    At the conclusion of Smith’s meetings, he will conduct a media briefing at the U.N. Stakeout in the United Nation’s Building in New York City.