[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3498 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3498

To provide humanitarian assistance and support a democratic transition 
                   in Syria, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 2, 2012

   Mr. Casey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide humanitarian assistance and support a democratic transition 
                   in Syria, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Syria Humanitarian Support and 
Democratic Transition Assistance Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In March 2011, peaceful demonstrations in Syria began 
        against the authoritarian rule of Bashar al-Assad. The regime 
        responded with terrible violence against the citizens of Syria, 
        including the use of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial 
        killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and 
        interference with access to medical treatment.
            (2) In December 2011, the Government of Syria agreed to 
        allow an Arab League observer group into the country to assess 
        the humanitarian and political situation on the ground. 
        However, on January 28, 2012, the League officially ended its 
        observer mission, citing escalating violence and the 
        intransigence of the Assad regime.
            (3) In February 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian 
        People met in Tunis and issued a declaration demanding, among 
        other things, that the Syrian regime ``allow free and unimpeded 
        access by the UN and humanitarian agencies to carry out a full 
        assessment of needs''.
            (4) On March 16, 2012, United Nations and League of Arab 
        States Special Envoy Kofi Annan presented a six-point peace 
        plan for Syria that called on the Government of Syria to, among 
        other things--
                    (A) commit to stop the fighting and urgently 
                achieve a United Nations-supervised cessation of 
                violence;
                    (B) cease military activity in and around civilian 
                population centers;
                    (C) work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led 
                political process;
                    (D) ensure timely provision of humanitarian 
                assistance;
                    (E) release arbitrarily detained persons;
                    (F) ensure freedom of movement for journalists; and
                    (G) respect the freedom of association and the 
                right to demonstrate peacefully.
            (5) In March 2012, the United Nations Refugee Agency 
        (UNHCR) appealed for $84,100,000 to assist approximately 30,000 
        Syrian refugees living outside the country. Panos Moumtzis was 
        appointed Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria by UNHCR, 
        indicating the importance of responding to the growing needs of 
        Syrian refugees.
            (6) In April 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian People 
        met in Istanbul and committed to increase pressure on the Assad 
        regime, provide greater humanitarian relief to people in need, 
        and support the Syrian opposition as it works toward an 
        inclusive democratic transition.
            (7) As of July 2012, the London-based Syrian Observatory 
        for Human Rights estimated that more than 20,000 people have 
        been killed as a result of the violence in Syria, while the 
        United Nations has reportedly stopped keeping track of casualty 
        numbers due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate information 
        from inside Syria.
            (8) As a result of the violence, the United Nations 
        estimates that 1,500,000 people are in need of humanitarian 
        assistance, including access to food, water, shelter, and 
        medical care. Basic services such as health care, education, 
        and electricity have also been cut off in some parts of the 
        country.
            (9) Syria faces growing food insecurity, as wheat harvests 
        have declined due to drought. The United Nations expects aid 
        agencies to provide food aid to 850,000 Syrians in July 2012, 
        up from 500,000 the previous month.
            (10) Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the country 
        due to escalating violence. According to the United Nations, 
        there are more than 100,000 Syrian refugees registered in 
        Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq, and even more who are 
        unregistered. According to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, 
        hundreds of thousands of Syrians are displaced within the 
        country. More than three-quarters of refugees and internally 
        displaced persons are women and children, who are particularly 
        vulnerable to economic and physical insecurity.
            (11) In June 2012, UNHCR more than doubled its appeal for 
        assistance for Syrian refugees to $193,000,000, reflecting the 
        significant increase in the number of refugees in need of 
        assistance.
            (12) The United Nations requested an additional 
        $189,000,000 to meet humanitarian needs inside Syria. According 
        to a United Nations spokesperson, only about 20 percent of 
        these appeals have been funded. In July 2012, John Ging, 
        Director of Operations for the United Nations Office for the 
        Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said, ``If we don't get 
        more money, people will die.''
            (13) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued an 
        urgent appeal for $20,000,000 to meet the emergency needs of 
        children and young people who have fled the violence in Syria. 
        UNICEF estimates that it will need to provide humanitarian 
        support and basic services to approximately 90,000 Syrian 
        children between July and December 2012. As of July 2012, 
        UNICEF has received less than $6,000,000 to provide support and 
        protection to the most vulnerable victims of the crisis in 
        Syria.
            (14) An agreement between the United Nations and the Syrian 
        regime to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in 
        the country has allowed aid workers greater access to victims 
        of the conflict. However, staff of the International Committee 
        of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent cite security 
        concerns as a major obstacle to aid distribution. The 
        Government of Syria is also refusing to grant visas for aid 
        workers from countries that have criticized the regime, 
        including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and 
        France.
            (15) In July 2012, Human Rights Watch reported widespread 
        torture and mistreatment of political prisoners being held in 
        detention facilities managed by intelligence agencies of the 
        Government of Syria. The report cites overcrowding, denial of 
        adequate food and medical assistance, and the routine use of a 
        wide range of torture methods. The report also raised concerns 
        that authorities in Syria could choose to kill detainees rather 
        than allow them to be released in the event of a political 
        transition.
            (16) As of July 2012, the United States Government has 
        pledged $52,000,000 in humanitarian and non-lethal assistance 
        to Syria.
            (17) According to the Unclassified Report to Congress on 
        the Acquisition of Technology Relating to Weapons of Mass 
        Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions Covering 1 
        January to 31 December 2011, ``Syria has had a [chemical 
        weapons] program for many years and has a stockpile of CW 
        agents, which can be delivered by aerial bombs, ballistic 
        missiles, and artillery rockets.'' In a hearing before the 
        Committee on Armed Services of the Senate in March 2012, 
        Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey 
        testified that the magnitude of Syria's chemical weapons 
        arsenal was ``100 times more than we experienced in Libya''. 
        The Government of Syria's stockpiles are thought to include 
        mustard, sarin, and VX gases.
            (18) There are concerns about the existence of numerous 
        rebel militias and their role in Syria during a post-transition 
        period. On June 30, 2012, during an international meeting on 
        Syria in Geneva, Special Envoy Kofi Annan said, ``A transition 
        must be implemented in a climate of safety for all, stability 
        and calm, including completion of withdrawals and the 
        disarming, demobilization and reintegration of armed groups.''

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to strongly condemn the ongoing violence and widespread 
        human rights violations perpetrated against the Syrian people 
        by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad;
            (2) to promote the protection of civilians and innocent 
        victims of the conflict in Syria, particularly women and 
        children who are displaced and vulnerable to physical 
        exploitation;
            (3) to assist the people of Syria in meeting basic needs, 
        including access to food, health care, shelter, and clean 
        drinking water;
            (4) to support efforts of democratically oriented political 
        opposition groups in Syria to agree upon a political transition 
        plan that is inclusive and reflects the democratic aspirations 
        of all minority ethnic groups in the country;
            (5) to work with the international community, including 
        multilateral organizations and host countries, to support 
        Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq;
            (6) to support efforts to identify, recover, and dispose of 
        chemical weapons and other conventional and unconventional 
        weapons stockpiled in Syria; and
            (7) to help ensure that, once a stable transitional 
        government is established in Syria, it is committed to 
        multiparty democracy, open and transparent governance, respect 
        for human rights and religious freedom, promoting peace and 
        stability with its neighbors, enhancing the rule of law, and 
        rehabilitating and reintegrating former combatants.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA.

    (a) Appointment of Special Envoy.--Not later than 30 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall appoint a 
Special Envoy for Syria to coordinate United States engagement with the 
country and to ensure that the United States Government supports 
efforts to bring about a democratic transition in Syria.
    (b) Duties.--The Special Envoy for Syria should be given a clear 
mandate--
            (1) to direct United States Government efforts to provide 
        assistance to civilians and innocent victims of the conflict in 
        Syria;
            (2) to provide detailed assessments of challenges and 
        progress on the ground in Syria with regard to providing 
        humanitarian relief, supporting an inclusive political 
        transition, assisting internally displaced persons and 
        refugees, reintegrating former combatants, and securing 
        conventional and unconventional weapons; and
            (3) to pursue a peaceful, inclusive democratic future for 
        Syria that protects the rights of all ethnic and religious 
        minorities.
    (c) Staffing and Resources.--The Special Envoy for Syria should be 
provided with appropriate resources, including adequate staffing in the 
region and in Washington, District of Columbia.

SEC. 5. BILATERAL ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA.

    (a) Authority.--The President should--
            (1) provide enhanced support for humanitarian activities 
        taking place in and outside Syria, including the provision of 
        food, water, and medical supplies;
            (2) support efforts for a peaceful resolution of the 
        conflict in Syria as well as the establishment of an inclusive 
        representative form of government in Syria;
            (3) continue to encourage the participation of all groups, 
        including women, business leaders, civil society organizations, 
        traditional and religious leaders, and minority groups in 
        efforts for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and political 
        transition in Syria;
            (4) encourage the Arab League and other international 
        bodies to insist that transitional and future governments are 
        committed to multiparty democracy, open and transparent 
        governance, respect for human rights and religious freedom, 
        ending the violence throughout the country, promoting peace and 
        stability with Syria's neighbors, enhancing the rule of law and 
        combating corruption, and rehabilitating and reintegrating 
        former combatants;
            (5) contribute to future capacity building for governing 
        institutions after a political transition takes place in Syria; 
        and
            (6) support post-transition efforts, including programs for 
        demobilizing and reintegrating former combatants.
    (b) Funding.--
            (1) Fiscal years 2013 and 2014.--Of the amounts made 
        available to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
        U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, such sums 
        as may be necessary should be allocated for bilateral 
        assistance programs in Syria.
            (2) Future funding.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
        Department of State should submit a budget request for fiscal 
        year 2014 that contains an appropriate increase in bilateral 
        and multilateral assistance for Syria based on progress by the 
        Government of Syria toward accomplishing the policy objectives 
        described in section 3.
            (3) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations under paragraphs (1) and (2)--
                    (A) are authorized to remain available until 
                expended; and
                    (B) are in addition to funds otherwise available 
                for such purposes.
    (c) Coordination With Other Donor Nations.--The United States 
should work with other donor nations, on a bilateral and multilateral 
basis, to increase international contributions to the people of Syria 
and accomplish the policy objectives described in section 3.

SEC. 6. INCREASING CONTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT 
              ASSISTANCE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    The President should instruct the United States permanent 
representative or executive director, as the case may be, to the United 
Nations voluntary agencies, including the World Food Program, the 
United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees, and other appropriate international 
organizations to use the voice and vote of the United States to support 
additional humanitarian and development assistance for the people of 
Syria in order to accomplish the policy objectives described in section 
3.

SEC. 7. INCREASING BILATERAL ASSISTANCE TO COUNTRIES THAT HOST SYRIAN 
              REFUGEES.

    (a) Authority.--The President should increase bilateral funding to 
countries, including Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, that have 
experienced an influx of refugees from Syria.
    (b) Funding for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014.--Of the amounts made 
available to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2151 et seq.) for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, such sums as may be 
necessary should be allocated for bilateral refugee assistance programs 
in the countries surrounding Syria.

SEC. 8. COORDINATION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR SYRIA.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall instruct the Secretary of 
State to work with the appropriate United Nations agencies, regional 
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the broader 
international community to establish an international donors group to 
maximize resources and efficiently provide humanitarian assistance to 
the people of Syria.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the donors group shall be to 
coordinate resources for the following activities in Syria and the 
region:
            (1) Providing humanitarian relief to civilians impacted by 
        the violence in Syria and Syrian refugees in surrounding 
        countries.
            (2) Supporting inclusive post-transitional governance and 
        the establishment of the rule of law.
            (3) Supporting disarmament, demobilization, and 
        reintegration of combatants and members of militias.
    (c) Annual Report.--The Department of State shall submit a report 
on the specific programs, projects, and activities carried out by the 
donors group during the preceding year, including an evaluation of the 
results of such programs, projects, and activities.

SEC. 9. SECURING UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA.

    (a) Transition Plan.--The United States should work with regional 
partners to develop a plan, to be implemented in the event of a 
political transition, to--
            (1) identify and secure conventional and unconventional 
        weapons stockpiles in Syria;
            (2) recover and dispose of all unconventional weapons 
        stockpiled in Syria, with particular attention to chemical 
        weapons; and
            (3) prevent the illicit sale or transfer of conventional 
        and unconventional weapons out of Syria in order to preclude 
        regional weapons proliferation.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Department of State should submit a budget request for fiscal year 2014 
that contains an increase in bilateral nonproliferation, demining, and 
anti-terrorism assistance for Syria toward accomplishing the policy 
objectives described in this section.

SEC. 10. REPORT ON HUMANITARIAN AND STABILIZATION EFFORTS IN SYRIA.

    Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter, the President shall submit to Congress a 
detailed report on the implementation of this Act, including a 
description of--
            (1) progress made as a result of humanitarian and 
        stabilization efforts, including refugee assistance in Syria;
            (2) progress made toward establishing an inclusive, 
        democratic government that protects the rights of all Syrians; 
        and
            (3) key challenges, gaps, and obstacles to further 
        enhancing stability and peace in Syria, including between Syria 
        and its neighbors.
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