[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 435 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 388
112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 435

    Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 25, 2012

     Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                              May 7, 2012

   Reported by Mr. Kerry, with an amendment and an amendment to the 
                                preamble
[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
      [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for other purposes.

<DELETED>Whereas the Republic of Syria is a party to the International Covenant 
        on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted at New York December 16, 
        1966, and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, 
        Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 
        10, 1984, and voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human 
        Rights, adopted at Paris December 10, 1948;
Whereas, since March 2011, the Government of Syria has engaged in a sustained 
        campaign of violence and gross human rights violations against civilians 
        in Syria, including the use of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial 
        killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference with 
        access to medical treatment;
Whereas the United Nations estimated that, as of April 16, 2012, at least 10,000 
        people had been killed in Syria since the violence began in March 2011;
Whereas, on August, 18, 2011, President Barack Obama called upon President 
        Bashar al Assad to step aside;
Whereas, in November 2011 and February 2012, the United Nations Commission of 
        Inquiry released reports documenting gross human rights violations 
        committed in Syria;
Whereas the League of Arab States deployed a team of international monitors to 
        Syria on December 26, 2011;
Whereas, on January 28, 2012, the League of Arab States suspended its monitoring 
        mission in Syria in response to an escalation in violence;
Whereas, 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: commit to stop the 
        fighting and urgently achieve a United Nations-supervised cessation of 
        violence; work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political 
        process; cease military activity in and around civilian population 
        centers; ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance; release 
        arbitrarily detained persons; ensure freedom of movement for 
        journalists; and respect the freedom of association and the right to 
        demonstrate peacefully;
Whereas, on March 21, 2012, the United Nations Security Council unanimously 
        adopted a Presidential Statement giving full support to the efforts of 
        Joint Special Envoy Annan and calling on the Government of Syria and the 
        opposition in Syria to work in good faith to fully and immediately 
        implement Mr. Annan's six point proposal;
Whereas, on April 1, 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian People met in 
        Istanbul and announced measures to increase the 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.
Whereas, as of April 1, 2012, the United States Government had pledged 
        $25,000,000 in humanitarian assistance, as well as non-lethal 
        communications equipment, to activists inside Syria;
Whereas, on April 5, 2012, the United Nations Security Council adopted a 
        Presidential Statement calling on the Government of Syria to implement 
        urgently and visibly its commitments to Mr. Annan, including ceasing 
        armed violence within 48 hours;
Whereas, on April 14, 2012, the United Nations Security Council adopted 
        Resolution 2042, which authorized the deployment of an advance team of 
        United Nations military observers to monitor adherence to a ceasefire in 
        the country;
Whereas the Governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq have provided 
        refuge for tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence in 
        Syria; and
Whereas the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran continue to supply military equipment to the Government of Syria 
        notwithstanding that government's violent repression of demonstrators:
Now, therefore, be it
</DELETED>Whereas the Republic of Syria is a party to the International Covenant 
        on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted at New York December 16, 
        1966, and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, 
        Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 
        10, 1984, and voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of Human 
        Rights, adopted at Paris December 10, 1948;
Whereas, since March 2011, the Government of Syria has engaged in a sustained 
        campaign of violence and gross human rights violations against civilians 
        in Syria, including the use of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial 
        killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference with 
        access to medical treatment;
Whereas nongovernmental organizations and opposition groups estimate that, as of 
        April 16, 2012, at least 10,000 people had been killed in Syria since 
        the violence began in March 2011;
Whereas, on August, 18, 2011, President Barack Obama called upon President 
        Bashar al Assad to step aside;
Whereas, in November 2011 and February 2012, the United Nations Commission of 
        Inquiry released reports documenting gross human rights violations 
        committed in Syria;
Whereas the League of Arab States deployed a team of international monitors to 
        Syria on December 26, 2011;
Whereas, on January 28, 2012, the League of Arab States suspended its monitoring 
        mission in Syria in response to an escalation in violence;
Whereas, 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: commit to stop the 
        fighting and urgently achieve a United Nations-supervised cessation of 
        violence; work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political 
        process; cease military activity in and around civilian population 
        centers; ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance; release 
        arbitrarily detained persons; ensure freedom of movement for 
        journalists; and respect the freedom of association and the right to 
        demonstrate peacefully;
Whereas, on March 21, 2012, the United Nations Security Council unanimously 
        adopted a Presidential Statement giving full support to the efforts of 
        Joint Special Envoy Annan and calling on the Government of Syria and the 
        opposition in Syria to work in good faith to fully and immediately 
        implement Mr. Annan's six point proposal;
Whereas, on April 1, 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian People met in 
        Istanbul and announced measures to increase the 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.
Whereas, as of April 20, 2012, the United States Government had pledged 
        $33,000,000 in humanitarian assistance, as well as non-lethal 
        communications equipment, to activists inside Syria;
Whereas, on April 5, 2012, the United Nations Security Council adopted a 
        Presidential Statement calling on the Government of Syria to implement 
        urgently and visibly its commitments to Mr. Annan, including ceasing 
        armed violence within 48 hours;
Whereas, on April 14, 2012, the United Nations Security Council adopted 
        Resolution 2042, which authorized the deployment of an advance team of 
        United Nations military observers to monitor adherence to a ceasefire in 
        the country;
Whereas the Governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq have provided 
        refuge for tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence in 
        Syria; and
Whereas the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of 
        Iran continue to supply military equipment to the Government of Syria 
        notwithstanding that government's violent repression of demonstrators: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, <DELETED>That the Senate--
        <DELETED>    (1) condemns Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's 
        ongoing slaughter of his own people;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United 
        States that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people 
        cannot be realized so long as Bashar al-Assad remains in power 
        and that he must step aside;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) recognizes the efforts of the United Nations 
        and the League of Arab States to establish a ceasefire in Syria 
        and to deploy international personnel to observe adherence by 
        the Government of Syria to Special Envoy Kofi Annan's six-point 
        peace plan to bring an end to violence and human rights 
        violations and as a first step toward a full democratic 
        transition in Syria;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) urges robust support for the United Nations-
        administered Emergency Response Fund to ensure the sustained 
        provision of humanitarian and emergency medical support for the 
        population of Syria affected by the conflict;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) urges the continued provision of adequate 
        humanitarian assistance to displaced Syrians currently located 
        in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) calls on the President to engage with the 
        League of Arab States, the European Union, and the Government 
        of the Republic of Turkey to explore options to protect 
        civilians in Syria;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) demands that the Government of Syria allow 
        additional United Nations personnel into the country, with 
        complete freedom of movement, and take necessary measures to 
        ensure their safety in Syria so that they may observe the 
        ceasefire and the adherence by the Government of Syria to the 
        United Nation six-point peace plan;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) urges the Syrian opposition to renew its 
        commitment to a democratic and inclusive society in the post-
        Assad era based on the rule of law, commitment to universal 
        human rights for all of its people, and protections for 
        religious and ethnic minorities;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) calls upon the League of Arab States, the 
        United Nations, the Friends of the Syrian People, and other 
        interested international bodies to continue to exert maximum 
        diplomatic pressure for Assad to step aside and for a political 
        transition in Syria;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) urges the Friends of the Syrian People to 
        renew efforts to incentivize the enhanced cohesion of 
        democratically oriented organizations in Syria, and to 
        encourage these groups to make clear their intention to 
        represent and protect the interests of all Syrians;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (11) calls upon the President to continue to 
        provide support, including communications equipment to 
        organizations in Syria that are representative of the people of 
        Syria, make demonstrable efforts to protect human rights and 
        religious freedom, reject terrorism, cooperate with 
        international counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts, 
        and abstain from destabilizing neighboring countries;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (12) urges the President to develop a plan to 
        identify weapons stockpiles and prevent the proliferation of 
        conventional, biological, chemical, and other types of weapons 
        in Syria; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (13) strongly condemns the Governments of the 
        Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran for 
        providing military and security equipment to the Government of 
        Syria, which has been used to repress peaceful demonstrations 
        and commit mass atrocities against unarmed civilian populations 
        in Syria.</DELETED>
    That the Senate--
            (1) condemns Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ongoing 
        atrocities against his own people;
            (2) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States 
        that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people cannot be 
        realized so long as Bashar al-Assad remains in power and that 
        he must step aside and that Syria must transition to a just, 
        representative, and inclusive government selected by the people 
        of Syria;
            (3) recognizes the efforts of the United Nations and the 
        League of Arab States to negotiate and establish a cessation of 
        armed violence in Syria and to deploy international personnel 
        to observe adherence by the Government of Syria to a cessation 
        of armed violence agreement as a first step toward full 
        implementation of the United Nations supported six-point plan 
        culminating in a full transition to a representative and 
        inclusive government;
            (4) urges robust support for the United Nations-
        administered Emergency Response Fund to ensure the sustained 
        provision of humanitarian and emergency medical support for the 
        population of Syria affected by the conflict;
            (5) urges the continued provision of adequate humanitarian 
        assistance to displaced Syrians currently located in Turkey, 
        Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq;
            (6) calls on the President to continue to engage with the 
        League of Arab States, the European Union, and the Government 
        of the Republic of Turkey to discuss all options to protect 
        civilians in Syria;
            (7) demands that the Government of Syria allow additional 
        United Nations personnel into the country, with complete 
        freedom of movement, and take necessary measures to ensure 
        their safety in Syria so that they may observe the ceasefire 
        and the adherence by the Government of Syria to the United 
        Nations supported six-point plan;
            (8) demands that the Government of Syria immediately allow 
        humanitarian relief organizations, medical workers, and 
        independent and foreign news media to operate freely inside the 
        borders of Syria;
            (9) urges the Syrian opposition to renew its commitment to 
        a representative government and inclusive society based on the 
        rule of law, commitment to universal human rights for all of 
        its people, and protections for religious and ethnic 
        minorities;
            (10) calls upon the League of Arab States, the United 
        Nations, the Friends of the Syrian People, and other interested 
        international bodies to continue to exert maximum diplomatic 
        pressure for Assad to step aside and for a political transition 
        in Syria;
            (11) urges the Friends of the Syrian People to renew 
        efforts to promote cohesion of democratically oriented 
        organizations in Syria, and to encourage these groups to make 
        clear their intention to represent and protect the interests of 
        all Syrians;
            (12) supports the efforts of the President to continue to 
        provide non-lethal support, including communications equipment 
        to organizations in Syria that: are representative of the 
        people of Syria, make demonstrable efforts to protect human 
        rights and religious freedom, reject terrorism, cooperate with 
        international counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts, 
        and abstain from destabilizing neighboring countries;
            (13) urges the President to accelerate efforts with 
        partners from the League of Arab States, the United Nations, 
        the European Union, the Friends of the Syrian People, and other 
        interested international bodies to develop a plan to identify 
        weapons stockpiles and prevent the proliferation of 
        conventional, biological, chemical, and other types of weapons 
        in Syria;
            (14) supports the actions of the European Union to impose a 
        ban on the sale of luxury goods and products to Syria in an 
        effort aimed at the Assad family and loyal supporters of Bashar 
        al-Assad due to the Government of Syria's continuing violence 
        against the people of Syria in spite of the ceasefire 
        agreements;
            (15) condemns Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's continued 
        failure to uphold his March 25, 2012, commitment to the six 
        point plan outlined by Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan and 
        failed compliance with United Nations Security Council 
        Resolution 2042 (2012);
            (16) strongly condemns the Governments of the Russian 
        Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran for providing 
        military and security equipment to the Government of Syria, 
        which has been used to repress peaceful demonstrations and 
        commit mass atrocities against unarmed civilian populations in 
        Syria; and
            (17) strongly urges all Governments, including those that 
        have provided military and security equipment to the Government 
        of Syria in the past, including the Republic of Belarus and the 
        Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to refrain from 
        providing any additional military or security assistance to the 
        Government of Syria.




                                                       Calendar No. 388

112th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                              S. RES. 435

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

    Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 7, 2012

      Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble