[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 22 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S503-S504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 370--CALLING FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IN SYRIA

  Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Isakson, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Kyl) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 370

       Whereas the Syrian Arab Republic is a signatory to the 
     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 
     adopted at New York December 16, 1966, the United Nations 
     Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or 
     Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 
     10, 1984, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
     adopted at Paris, December 10, 1948.
       Whereas, in March 2011, peaceful demonstrations in Syria 
     began against the authoritarian rule of Bashar al-Assad;
       Whereas, in response to the demonstrations, the Government 
     of Syria launched a brutal crackdown, which has resulted in 
     gross human rights violations, use of force against 
     civilians, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary 
     executions, sexual violence, and interference with access to 
     medical treatment;
       Whereas the United Nations estimated that, as of January 
     25, 2012, more than 5,400 people in Syria had been killed 
     since the violence began in March 2011;
       Whereas, on August 18, 2011, President Barack Obama called 
     upon President Bashar al-Assad to step down from power;
       Whereas the Department of State has repeatedly condemned 
     the Government of Syria's crackdown on its people, including 
     on January 30, 2012, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
     stated ``The status quo is unsustainable. . . . The longer 
     the Assad regime continues its attacks on the Syrian people 
     and stands in the way of a peaceful transition, the greater 
     the concern that instability will escalate and spill over 
     throughout the region.'';
       Whereas President Obama, on April 29, 2011, designated 3 
     individuals subject to sanctions for humans rights abuses in 
     Syria: Mahir al-Assad, the brother of Syrian President Bashar 
     al-Assad and brigade commander in the Syrian Army's 4th 
     Armored Division; Atif Najib, the former head of the 
     Political Security Directorate for Daraa Province and a 
     cousin of Bashar al-Assad; and Ali Mamluk, director of 
     Syria's General Intelligence Directorate;
       Whereas, on May 18, 2011, President Obama issued an 
     executive order sanctioning senior officials of the Syrian 
     Arab Republic and their supporters, specifically designating 
     seven people: President Bashar al-Assad, Vice President 
     Farouk al-Shara, Prime Minister Adel Safar, Minister of the 
     Interior Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, Minister of Defense Ali 
     Habib Mahmoud, Head of Syrian Military Intelligence Abdul 
     Fatah Qudsiya, and Director of Political Security Directorate 
     Mohammed Dib Zaitoun;
       Whereas President Obama, on August 17, 2011, issued 
     Executive Order 13582, blocking property of the Government of 
     Syria and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to 
     Syria;
       Whereas, on December 1, 2011, the Department of the 
     Treasury designated two individuals, Aus Aslan and Muhammad 
     Makhluf, under Executive Order 13573 and two entities, the 
     Military Housing Establishment and the Real Estate Bank of 
     Syria, under Executive Order 13582;
       Whereas, on May 6, 2011, the European Union's 27 countries 
     imposed sanctions on the Government of Syria for the human 
     rights abuses, including asset freezes and visa bans on 
     members of the Government of Syria and an arms embargo on the 
     country;
       Whereas, on November 12, 2011, the League of Arab States 
     voted to suspend Syria's membership in the organization;
       Whereas, on December 2, 2011, the United Nations Human 
     Rights Council passed Resolution S-18/1, which recalls 
     General Assembly resolution A/RES/66/176 of December 19, 
     2011, as well as Human Rights Council resolutions S/16-1, S/
     17-1 and S/18-1, and further deplores the human rights 
     situation in Syria, commends the League of Arab States, and 
     supports implementation of its Plan of Action;
       Whereas the League of Arab States approved and implemented 
     a plan of action to send a team of international monitors to 
     Syria, which began December 26, 2011;
       Whereas, on January 28, 2012, the League of Arab States 
     decided to suspend its international monitoring mission due 
     to escalating violence within Syria;
       Whereas, on February 4, 2012, the Russian Federation and 
     People's Republic of China vetoed a United Nations Security 
     Council Resolution in support of the League of Arab States' 
     Plan of Action;
       Whereas the Governments of the Russian Federation and the 
     Islamic Republic of Iran remain major suppliers of military 
     equipment to the Government of Syria notwithstanding that 
     government's violent repression of demonstrators; and
       Whereas the gross human rights violations perpetuated by 
     the Government of Syria against the people of Syria represent 
     a grave risk to regional peace and stability: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) strongly condemns the ongoing, widespread, and systemic 
     violations of human rights conducted by authorities in Syria, 
     including the use of force against civilians, torture, 
     extrajudicial killings, arbitrary executions, sexual 
     violence, and interference with access to medical treatment;
       (2) maintains that Bashar al-Assad has lost all claims to 
     legitimacy due to the perpetuation of mass atrocities against 
     the people of Syria and continued violations of human rights;
       (3) calls upon Bashar al-Assad to step down from power;
       (4) 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;
       (5) commends the League of Arab States' efforts to bring 
     about a peaceful resolution in Syria;
       (6) regrets that the League of Arab States observer mission 
     was not able to monitor the full implementation of the League 
     of Arab States' Action Plan of November 2, 2011, due to the 
     escalating violence in Syria;
       (7) commends President Obama for authorizing targeted 
     sanctions on human rights abusers in Syria and for extending 
     these sanctions to 12 individuals;
       (8) encourages the President to continue designating for 
     sanctions all individuals responsible for human rights 
     violations in Syria;
       (9) urges the President to support an effective transition 
     to democracy in Syria by identifying and providing 
     substantial material and technical support, upon request, to 
     Syrian organizations that are representative of the people of 
     Syria, make demonstrable commitments to protect human rights 
     and religious freedom, reject terrorism, cooperate with 
     international counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts, 
     and abstain from destabilizing neighboring countries;
       (10) 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;
       (11) urges the Department of State to establish a ``Friends 
     of the Syrian People'' Contact Group of countries committed 
     to democratic change in Syria, including Turkey, members of 
     the League of Arab States, and members of the European Union;
       (12) urges the Department of State to develop a strategy to 
     encourage defections from the military of the Government of 
     Syria;
       (13) urges the President to diplomatically engage with the 
     Republic of Turkey and members of the League of Arab States 
     and the European Union to discuss options to protect the 
     people of Syria, including the provision of robust 
     humanitarian assistance, the viability of establishing a safe 
     haven along the borders of Syria, and the use of all means 
     available to monitor and publicly report on abuses inside the 
     country; and
       (14) urges the international community to mobilize in 
     support of a post-Assad democratic and inclusive Government 
     of Syria that holds accountable those responsible for crimes 
     against humanity and gross violations of human rights.

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