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
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
That the Senate—
(1)condemns Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad’s ongoing slaughter of 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;
(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;
(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 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;
(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;
(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;
(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;
(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;
(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;
(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
(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.
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.
May 7, 2012
Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the
preamble