[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 46 (Thursday, March 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CALLING FOR THE END OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR AND FOR PRESIDENT BASHAR 
                         AL-ASSAD TO STEP ASIDE

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. STEVE CHABOT

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 15, 2018

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the seventh anniversary 
of the Syrian people's demand for democracy, which began on March 15, 
2011.
  As a senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have 
watched President Bashar al-Assad commit a catalogue of the most 
barbaric crimes during seven years of civil war. These include his use 
of chemical weapons against civilians, his mass imprisonment and murder 
of his own citizens, and his deliberate shelling of noncombatants. His 
violence has created a catastrophic refugee crisis, and the death toll 
from his brutal war is in the hundreds of thousands.
  Worse, Russia and Iran have been keen to expand their influence in 
Syria--no matter the human cost. Not only has Vladimir Putin propped up 
Assad militarily, but he has provided diplomatic cover for Assad's 
crimes. Further, Tehran has entrenched itself in Syria by mobilizing 
and training numerous proxy fighters. This expanded influence 
undermines American interests, threatens Israel, and further 
destabilizes the Middle East.
  I encourage the Administration to work with Congress and our allies 
to bring this war to a needed conclusion; one that transitions Syria 
into a post-Assad future.

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