[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 70 (Friday, May 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION CALLING ON THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION COALITION 
              TO OUTLINE PLAN FOR INCLUSION OF MINORITIES

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                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 17, 2013

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, the horror unleashed by the regime of Bashar 
al Assad in Syria has caused tremendous suffering, displacement and 
death. Tragically, this conflict may endure for months to come. Assad 
has lost legitimacy with his own people and with the world, but he 
retains the military capacity to keep fighting. The fact that he 
retains chemical weapons and, as the Administration has averred, may 
have already used them on the battlefield, raises new concerns about 
the toll this conflict may yet take.
  Mr. Speaker, we all are aware of the delicate mix of religious and 
cultural diversity that exists in Syria. That harmony persisted even 
when sectarian conflict--fomented in part by Bashar al Assad and his 
father Hafez before him--overwhelmed Syria's neighbors in Lebanon and 
Iraq. But in Syria, a delicate ethnic and religious balance held.
  Now, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that Assad believes 
his best hope lies in shattering that harmony. He hopes that the 
atrocities committed by the shabiha, paramilitary gangs mostly drawn 
from Assad's own Alawite community, will implicate all of Syria's 2.3 
million Alawites and bind their future to his.
  This horrific strategy was recently employed on May 2 in the small, 
coastal village of Bayda. Assad's soldiers, accompanied by elements of 
shabiha, entered the mainly Sunni town and slaughtered scores of men, 
women and children.
  By carrying out massacres like the one in Bayda, the regime hopes 
that Alawites, as well as other minorities seen as dependent on Assad's 
protection, will be inexorably tied to the regime. He hopes that his 
genocidal actions will lead to calls for revenge and, ultimately, to 
unbridled sectarian conflict. He will then claim to be the only power 
that can control the resulting chaos. This is the gamble of a desperate 
ruler, and we have to do what we can to frustrate his plan. In reality, 
those in Bashar al Assad's inner circle know he is steadily losing the 
support of Syria's people--including Alawites. We should encourage the 
opposition to accelerate that trend, and reach out to Syria's people 
with a vision of unity, peace and citizenship for all.
  That is why I am introducing a resolution today calling on the Syrian 
Opposition Coalition to publicly outline a detailed vision of inclusion 
for all of Syria's people, including a guarantee that all Syrians--
Alawites and others, will participate as equals in any new Syrian 
government. Such a statement, along with meaningful progress towards 
establishing institutions of transitional justice, will instill 
confidence among Syria's minorities, and help peel more Syrians away 
from the regime.
  This revolution started as a peaceful and inclusive movement calling 
for an end to the undemocratic and corrupt system of government 
controlled by Assad. That is why many Alawites are already 
participating in the opposition. They can see a better future for 
Syria. We should encourage the opposition to make concrete that 
pluralistic, democratic vision.

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