[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 41 (Thursday, March 8, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1575-S1576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 SYRIA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to speak about the ongoing horrific 
violence in the nation of Syria, which seems to have hit yet new lows 
in terms of barbarity and Russian enabling. The senseless violence--in 
service of nothing more than enabling Syrian strongman Bashir al-Assad 
to maintain ironfisted rule over a country he has personally driven to 
ruin--demands the world's attention.
  Quite simply, President Trump, who lambasted President Obama's 
approach to Syria, has sat by as the regime continues to use chemical 
weapons, relentlessly bomb civilians, ignore the unanimous U.N. 
Security Council ceasefire, and allows Iran to build its radical 
foothold in Syria. One missile strike is not a long term policy. 
President Trump's silence as Russian President Putin not only continues 
to meddle in our democracy but also empowers and enables the Syrian 
butcher is simply inexplicable and diminishes American leadership.
  Let me start with the horror that has unfolded in Eastern Ghouta in 
the last few weeks. This area has actually been under siege by Syrian 
Government forces since 2013, but last week, Assad's henchmen stepped 
up their attacks. For over 2 weeks, Syrian forces supported by Russian 
warplanes have relentlessly bombarded Eastern Ghouta in a campaign that 
has killed over 1,000 people, wounded almost 5,000, and left 400,000 
civilians trapped without food or medicine.
  The siege had already led to chronic food and medicine shortages, 
devastating the population of Eastern Ghouta and leaving scores 
severely malnourished. The bombings have forced people to take shelter 
in their basements rather than risk death. Too frightened to venture 
outside to face the onslaught of mortar shells, barrel bombs, cluster 
bombs, and bunker-busting munitions, the civilian residents of Eastern 
Ghouta are being compelled to spend days without food or fresh air, 
suffocating in the heavily polluted air.
  Despite the U.N. ceasefire, the number of dead climbs every day--from 
bombings, from ground assaults, and from hunger. Only yesterday, 
Assad's forces killed over 90 civilians and wounded over 300.
  The number of casualties has overwhelmed rescuers and hospitals. 
Catastrophically, the Assad regime has chosen to re-employ one of its 
most heinous tactics and has bombed at least 28 hospitals and clinics. 
Doctors Without Borders said 15 of the 20 hospitals it supports have 
been destroyed or damaged, reducing access to emergency services just 
when they were most needed.
  Doctors have run out of resources to treat patients. Doctors are 
being forced to make the most difficult choices and sometimes, 
tragically, leave critically wounded patients to die. A doctor in 
Eastern Ghouta said, ``We have a horrible situation here. We're being 
targeted with all kinds of weapons nonstop. We lack everything, water, 
food, medical supplies, shelter. This is a disaster. Everyone is 
waiting to die.''
  I spoke to a deeply respected friend from Chicago the other day who 
knows this crisis all too well, Dr. Mohammed Sahloul, who leads the 
heroic Syrian American Medical Association. He and his brave colleagues 
regularly travel to Syria to help provide medical treatment to victims 
of the war. He told me horrific accounts of the latest bombing and 
disappointment at the world's seeming inaction amid such heinous 
cruelty.
  U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Eastern Ghouta a 
``hell on Earth.'' United Nation's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-
Hussein called the onslaught in Eastern Ghouta a ``monstrous campaign 
of annihilation.'' He added, ``When you are prepared to kill your own 
people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the government of Syria 
that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are 
frankly ridiculous.''
  Most troublingly, Assad's ruthless regime continues using chemical 
weapons to attack its own civilians despite Syria agreeing to eliminate 
its chemical weapons in 2013. We are in 2018 now and have seen the 
repeated use of chemicals to attack innocent people on the streets of 
Syria.
  Among his various and numerous atrocities, Bashar al-Assad has made 
routine the use of internationally banned chemical weapons. He has 
deployed them against his own people nearly 200 times over 7 years. He 
has used them against very young children and the elderly, people who 
are clearly not fighters on the battlefield. He has targeted civilians 
repeatedly with sarin gas, a weapon notably developed by another 
abominable regime: the Nazis.
  In 2013, Russia worked with a global coalition, including the United 
States, to ostensibly destroy Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, 
but the world watched in horror as Assad barbarically unleashed sarin 
gas on civilians in the town of Khan Shaykhun again in April 2017. 
Maybe you, too, saw the very disturbing reporting a week ago on ``60 
Minutes.''
  While the United States responded to that incident, Russia has 
allowed Assad to conduct many other chemical attacks. In fact, in 
Eastern Ghouta, Assad has continued to attack civilians--among them at 
least 21 children--with chemical weapons. Just yesterday, doctors there 
said that at least 29 patients were showing effects consistent with 
exposure to chlorine munitions.
  Instead of trying to stop this savage behavior, Russia stands by its 
client-state. Russia continues to obfuscate and deny these horrific 
attacks, despite much evidence substantiating the use of chemical 
weapons.
  In fact, Russia has seemingly condoned Assad's cruel use of chemical 
weapons on innocent civilians. The United Nations was investigating 
Assad's chemical attacks until late last year when Russia repeatedly 
blocked continuing the investigation. The U.N. investigation seemed to 
be getting too close to the truth for Russia's comfort, so it used its 
vote to prevent the facts from being laid bare.
  Unfortunately, Russia's negative influence doesn't end there. For 3 
days, Russia blocked a ceasefire from taking hold in Eastern Ghouta. 
For 3 days, Russia delayed much-needed food, medicine, and emergency 
aid to reach the distressed civilian population. For 3 days, the 
entirety of the U.N. Security Council, save Russia, agreed an immediate 
ceasefire was necessary.
  Even though the Security Council finally agreed to a 30-day ceasefire 
in Syria, Assad flouted international order as his warplanes continued 
to carry out airstrikes targeting civilians in Eastern Ghouta. He also 
launched a massive ground assault against Eastern Ghouta.
  Hundreds of people have been killed since the ceasefire was supposed 
to have begun. The Assad regime has prevented humanitarian relief from 
reaching those who are hurt or sick, and no civilians have been able to 
leave because of the constant bombardment.
  The man who runs the regional command in charge of U.S. troops in 
Syria, General Joseph Votel, has said that Russia plays ``the role of 
both arsonist and fireman--fueling tensions and then trying to resolve 
them in their favor.'' Instead of reasoning with its vassal-

[[Page S1576]]

state and enforcing the ceasefire, Russia egregiously has prevented the 
ceasefire from taking hold.
  Once again, Russia is abetting Assad's defiance and destruction for 
its own perverse purposes. At the very least, it is abdicating its role 
as a permanent member of the Security Council.
  What can be done about this devastating situation? Regrettably, there 
are no easy answers.
  But a President who previously argued that ``heinous actions by the 
Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration's 
weakness and irresolution'' has to demonstrate some resolve. I call on 
President Trump to put genuine pressure on Russian President Vladimir 
Putin to rein in Assad and end Russian obfuscation in the U.N. Security 
Council as the carnage and number of likely war crimes mount.
  Any discussion with Putin must also address deeply troubling--and 
seemingly ignored--reports that Russian mercenaries controlled by 
Yevgeny Prigozhin attacked U.S. Special Operations Forces in Syria, 
with approval of the highest levels of the Kremlin. Prigozhin is the 
same Russian oligarch who was recently indicted on charges of running a 
troll farm targeting American voters.
  Donald Trump has also called on ``all civilized nations'' to help end 
the ``slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.'' I have to imagine that the 
United States is included in his exhortation. Unhappily, he has also 
recommended a 30-percent cut in our already minuscule foreign 
assistance and diplomacy budget. The United States must do more to meet 
the humanitarian needs of Syrians suffering the ravages of a dreadful 
war.
  Incredibly, at a time when a long-term diplomatic and political 
solution will be needed in Syria, this administration has marginalized 
our top diplomatic expertise at the Department of State. This is wildly 
self-defeating.
  We have taken a back seat to Russia and Iran in Syria long enough. We 
can see every day the devastating results: more violence and the 
further fracturing of a country and a region that have suffered at the 
hands of tyrants too long.
  Despite the important achievement made by our military in destroying 
ISIS in Syria, Syria will remain a monumental security, humanitarian, 
and governance challenge for the United States and its allies, 
including Israel, for years to come. Russia and Iran are vying for the 
spoils of the civil war, with civilians paying the highest price. We 
don't want to leave U.S. forces in Syria indefinitely, but doing 
nothing to bring a lasting peace to Syria is the worst option.
  As such, President Trump, I call on your administration to come up 
with a real Syria strategy to bring an end to a war--and the senseless 
suffering--that has gone on for too long.

                          ____________________