[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 113 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6191-S6192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 SYRIA

  Mr. BEGICH. Madam President, I wish to speak about the crisis in 
Syria and the role that one company in one nation is playing in 
perpetuating the strife.
  Every day Syria descends deeper into chaos and civil war. Since March 
2011, more than 100,000 Syrians have been killed, an estimated 5 
million have been internally displaced, and at least 1.6 million have 
fled their war-torn land. By the end of 2013, half of Syria's 
population may have left their homes.
  The pressure on neighboring countries, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and 
Iraq, is only increasing. Beyond the refugee crisis, the resulting 
chaos threatens unprecedented violence and instability for all of 
Syria's neighbors. As Syria's conflict grows increasingly radical, its 
borders are increasably insecure.
  In August 2011, now nearly 2 years ago, President Obama declared that 
Syria's dictator, Bashar Asad, had lost all legitimacy and ``must go.'' 
At the time of that statement, the number of Syrians butchered by the 
Asad regime numbered a then-shocking 6,000. There were frequent grim 
comparisons to Bashar al-Asad's father Hafez, who shelled Hama for days 
in 1982, killing perhaps 20,000. Now, today we see a nation on a path 
to destruction and Hafez Asad's 20,000 dead is just a fraction of the 
number his son has killed.
  America must take seriously its commitment to doing what it can to 
bring an end to the Asad regime. We must not tolerate the empowerment 
of forces antithetical to our interests. And we certainly must not be 
complicit in their behavior.
  The triumph of the Asad regime would validate and encourage the 
murderous behavior of leaders who spurn democracy and the rule of law. 
It would empower the belligerent regime in Tehran and offer support to 
Iranian proxies who seek to annihilate Israel and ultimately threaten 
our own nation.
  While we view the Asad regime with rebellion, some others have 
stepped up support for him, facilitating Asad's brutal success. Among 
these is the Government of Russia. Russia has demonstrated time and 
again its support for Bashar Asad and its opposition to our own 
humanitarian and democratic values.
  Russia has consistently thwarted multilateral efforts to stem the 
violence in Syria, including vetoing a United Nations Security Council 
resolution that would have penalized Asad's failure to carry out a 
peace plan. It has made clear its unwavering support for Asad's 
brutality. Addressing the compounding challenges posed by Russian 
intransience has proven increasingly difficult. The Obama 
administration has made a serious effort to engage in a direct dialog 
over matters related to Syria, most recently along the sidelines of the 
G8.
  But that effort has not been fruitful. Indeed, the Russian Government 
has demonstrated no genuine interest in achieving a resolution to the 
Syria conflict. Moscow appears to simply enjoy the political cover that 
U.S.-Russian talks provide. Russia remains unwavering in its support 
for an Asad regime that has hosted its bases, served Russian economic 
interests, and anchored what remains of Russia's influence in the 
region.
  At the same time, Moscow continues to flout international norms. 
Russia is acting antagonistically toward our Nation. It perpetuates 
human rights abuses at home. It sacrifices the well-being of Russia's 
orphans for the sake of political gains. And it is sheltering the 
fugitive Edward Snowden.
  Russia's state-owned arms export firm, Rosoboronexport, has 
exacerbated the crisis in Syria. Instead of promoting a path to peace, 
Rosoboronexport has provided the Syrian Government with the means to 
perpetrate widespread and systemic attacks on its own people. It has 
supplied Asad with guns, grenades, tank parts, attack aircraft, anti-
ship cruise missiles, and air defense missiles, which his regime in 
turn uses to perpetuate its rule and murder innocent civilians. 
Rosoboronexport also has made a commitment to provide Syria with S-300 
advanced anti-aircraft missiles that would protect Syrian air dominance 
and facilitate its continued attacks on its civilian population.
  These weapons do not threaten the Syrian people alone. They challenge 
American interests in the region, including the safety and security of 
Israel.
  Let's look at one particular example that has received a good deal of 
international attention. It is certainly possible that NATO or our own 
Nation may decide it is necessary to create a no-fly zone over Syria to 
stop the carnage. Russian-provided S-300s would present a major threat 
to U.S. or allied aircraft and pilots seeking to establish such a zone. 
They would also pose a direct threat to Israeli civil and military air 
traffic.
  The Russian transfer of weapons to Syria is not just inhumane, but it 
is a violation of U.S. law. The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human 
Rights Act of 2012 and the Iran, North Korea, and Syria 
Nonproliferation Accountability Act, as well as Executive Orders 13382 
and 13582 all demand sanctions against ``those entities that materially 
assist, or provide support for, the Government of Syria.''
  In addition, the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act 
prohibits contracts with Rosoboronexport, and section 1233 of S. 1197, 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, which was 
passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, prohibits the use of 
funds to enter contracts with Rosoboronexport.
  In light of the lack of progress of diplomatic efforts to end Russian 
support for the Asad regime and the direct nature of the threat these 
escalating arms sales pose, it is incumbent upon the U.S. Government to 
pursue more aggressive measures as mandated by U.S. law to create 
incentives for the Russians to change their behavior. Indeed, Senator 
Kelly Ayotte and I have written to the President urging that he take 
this course.
  With the exception of particular circumstances of true military 
necessity, the administration must end all financial dealings with 
Rosoboronexport and begin to impose sanctions against Rosoboronexport.

[[Page S6192]]

  We must also impose sanctions against any Russian manufacturers that 
provide military equipment such as advanced anti-aircraft systems to 
Syria in contravention of U.S. law.
  In my view, it is unconscionable for us to provide Russia with the 
recently announced $550 million contract for 30 additional Mi-17 
helicopters, a purchase the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan 
Reconstruction has strongly advised against.
  American taxpayer dollars should not be provided to a Russian state-
owned corporation that is complicit in the murder of tens of thousands 
of innocent Syrian men, women, and children. The Department of Defense 
has the authority to end this contract with Rosoboronexport, which 
fails to meet the requirements of the Afghan military, and I have 
joined many of my colleagues in urging the administration to review 
this sale.
  The United States must not be complicit in the arming of the Asad 
regime nor in the empowerment of countries like Iran, which will 
triumph if Asad succeeds. I urge the administration to impose sanctions 
on Rosoboronexport and to demonstrate to Russia that its behavior in 
Syria will not be cost-free in its relations with our Nation.

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