[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 494 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 494

   Condemning the Government of the Russian Federation for providing 
      weapons to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 14, 2012

Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ayotte, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. 
Boxer, Mr. Risch, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the Government of the Russian Federation for providing 
      weapons to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has an extensive history of 
        providing weapons and political support to the regime of President 
        Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a country designated by the Secretary of State 
        as a ``state sponsor of terrorism'';
Whereas, at the Port of Tartus in Syria, the Government of the Russian 
        Federation maintains for the Russian Navy its only permanent warm-water 
        naval port outside of the former Soviet Union, which bolsters the Assad 
        regime;
Whereas the Assad regime responded to the widespread, peaceful, and sustained 
        calls for political reform that began in March 2011 in a manner that has 
        caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people in Syria, mostly civilians, 
        as of June 2012, according to an estimate by the United Nations;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation remains the top supplier of 
        weapons to the Government of Syria, reportedly providing nearly 
        $1,000,000,000 worth of arms to the Government of Syria in 2011 alone;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has unabatedly continued to 
        ship arms to the Government of Syria during the ongoing popular 
        uprisings;
Whereas, on October 4, 2011, the Russian Federation, together with the People's 
        Republic of China, vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution 
        that would have condemned ``grave and systematic human rights 
        violations'' in Syria and would have warned the Government of Syria of 
        the actions, including sanctions, to be considered against it, if 
        warranted;
Whereas, on January 18, 2012, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei 
        Lavrov criticized ``the sending of so-called humanitarian convoys to 
        Syria'';
Whereas, on January 19, 2012, Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that, with regard 
        to the Government of Syria, ``For us, the red line is fairly clearly 
        drawn. We will not support any sanctions.'';
Whereas, on February 4, 2012, the Russian Federation, together with the People's 
        Republic of China, vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution 
        calling for an end to the violence in Syria, demanding that all parties 
        in Syria cease all violence and reprisals and implement the plan set out 
        by the League of Arab States, expressing grave concern for the 
        deteriorating situation in Syria, and condemning the widespread gross 
        violations of human rights;
Whereas, on March 13, 2012, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation 
        Anatoly Antonov stated that the Government of the Russian Federation 
        would not halt arms shipments to Syria, acknowledging that the 
        Government of the Russian Federation has military instructors on the 
        ground training the Syrian Arab Army and stating, ``Russia enjoys good 
        and strong military technical co-operation with Syria, and we see no 
        reason to reconsider it. Russian-Syria military co-operation is 
        perfectly legitimate.'';
Whereas, on May 30, 2012, Permanent Representative of the United States to the 
        United Nations Susan Rice condemned recent reports of an arms shipment 
        that arrived in Syria from the Russian Federation on May 26, 2012, as 
        ``reprehensible,'' stating that ``this is obviously of the utmost 
        concern given that the Syrian government continues to use deadly forces 
        against civilians'';
Whereas, on May 31, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that the 
        policy of the Government of the Russian Federation toward the Government 
        of Syria ``is going to help contribute to a civil war,'' maintaining 
        that Russian officials ``are just vociferous in their claim that they 
        are providing a stabilizing influence,'' and stating, ``I reject that. I 
        think they are, in effect, propping up the regime at a time when we 
        should be working on a political transition.'';
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has thus far failed to 
        effectively use its influence and relationship with the Assad regime to 
        halt the murder of civilians in Syria, including the massacre of over 
        100 people, many of them women and children, in Houla on May 25 to 26, 
        2012;
Whereas Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin rejected appeals by 
        President of France Francois Hollande for tougher United Nations 
        sanctions aimed at ending violence in Syria;
Whereas, on June 5, 2012, Secretary of State Clinton stated that ``it's pretty 
        clear that we all have to intensify our efforts to speed a political 
        transition. . . . And we invite the Russians and the Chinese to be part 
        of the solution of what is happening in Syria'';
Whereas, on June 7, 2012, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to 
        the United Nations Vitaly Churkin publicly criticized the Governments of 
        Saudi Arabia and Qatar for supporting the opposition in Syria; and
Whereas, on June 12, 2012, Secretary of State Clinton stated that ``there are 
        attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate 
        the conflict quite dramatically'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the Government of the Russian Federation for--
                    (A) its longstanding and ongoing support for the 
                criminal regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria;
                    (B) continuing to transfer weapons to the Assad 
                regime, which cannot be considered legitimate for 
                purposes of self-defense; and
                    (C) its troubling opposition to resolutions from 
                the United Nations Security Council regarding Syria, 
                including those recently tabled by the United States;
            (2) concludes that the actions of the Government of the 
        Russian Federation--
                    (A) have enabled the Assad regime to maintain power 
                and perpetrate mass atrocities against its own people; 
                and
                    (B) directly undermine the core national security 
                interests of the United States, as well as the 
                stability of the entire Middle East; and
            (3) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to--
                    (A) immediately end all transfers of weapons to the 
                Assad regime;
                    (B) call on the Assad regime to end all violence 
                against civilians;
                    (C) support international sanctions against Syria; 
                and
                    (D) support a peaceful transition of leadership in 
                the Government of Syria, starting with the early 
                departure of Bashar al-Assad.
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