[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14751-14752]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                                 SYRIA

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, last Friday I was reading the press 
reports about the remarkable progress that has taken place at the 
United Nations in obtaining a legally binding resolution, with the 
support of Russia and the other members of the Security Council, to 
eliminate Syria's chemical weapons. I could not help but compare it to 
what has been happening here in the Congress over the past week and a 
half.
  While Secretary of State Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov 
have worked diligently to reach a historic agreement to destroy one of 
the world's largest arsenals of poison gas, the Congress has been 
consumed by political theater, debating an utterly pointless, 
politically motivated, doomed attempt to defund the Affordable Care 
Act. In doing so we are now perilously close to a shutdown of the 
Federal government that will cause untold damage to innumerable 
programs on which States, municipalities, and every community and 
family in this country depend and cost the taxpayers far more than if 
the government stays open.
  Ironically, while just 2 weeks ago Congress was on the verge of 
authorizing a military attack against Syria, some of the most vocal 
advocates of an attack are the same Members who are toying with a 
government shutdown that could make it harder for the United States to 
help implement the U.N. resolution to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. 
If the government stops functioning, it will no longer be able to pay 
the salaries of our diplomats, nor to provide the funds to help pay for 
the weapons inspectors and the removal and destruction of the weapons.
  I commend President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and our new U.N. 
Ambassador Samantha Power for their extraordinary efforts. We should 
also recognize the indispensable cooperation of Minister Lavrov and his 
government. While it will be many months before we know if this 
agreement will be faithfully implemented and achieve its goals in 
Syria, it is a dramatic step forward.
  I also commend President Obama and Secretary Kerry for their efforts 
to seize on the positive overtures by the new President of Iran. Again, 
it is too soon to say where this may lead, but if there is a chance of 
resolving diplomatically and verifiably the issue of Iran's nuclear 
program, it would be a monumental achievement.
  I ask unanimous consent that Ambassador Power's remarks at the U.N. 
last Thursday be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to 
    the United Nations, at the Security Council Stakeout Following 
               Consultations on Syria, September 26, 2013

       Just two weeks ago, tonight's outcome seemed utterly 
     unimaginable. Two weeks ago the Syrian regime had not even 
     acknowledged the existence of its chemical weapons 
     stockpiles. But tonight we have a shared draft resolution 
     that is the outcome of intense diplomacy and negotiations 
     over the past two weeks.
       Our overarching goal was and remains the rapid and total 
     elimination of Syria's chemical weapons program. This is a 
     class of weapons that the world has already judged must be 
     banned because their use is simply too horrific. This is a 
     fundamental belief shared by the United States, all members 
     of the Security Council and 98% of the world.
       Tonight, the Council discussed a draft resolution that will 
     uphold this international norm by imposing legally binding 
     obligations on Syria--on the government--to eliminate this 
     chemical weapons program.
       This resolution will require the destruction of a category 
     of weapons that the Syrian government has used ruthlessly and 
     repeatedly against its own people. And this resolution will 
     make clear that there are going to be consequences for 
     noncompliance.
       This is very significant. This is the first time since the 
     Syria conflict began 2\1/2\ years ago that the Security 
     Council has imposed binding obligations on Syria--binding 
     obligations of any kind. The first time. The resolution also 
     establishes what President Obama has been emphasizing for 
     many months: that the use of chemical weapons anywhere 
     constitutes a threat to international peace and security. By 
     establishing this, the Security Council is establishing a new 
     international norm.
       As you know, we went into these negotiations with a 
     fundamental red line, which is that we would get in this 
     resolution a reference to Chapter VII in the event of non-
     compliance, that we would get the Council committing to 
     impose measures under Chapter VII if the Syrians did not 
     comply with their binding, legal obligations.
       If implemented fully, this resolution will eliminate one of 
     the largest previously undeclared chemical weapons programs 
     in the world, and this is a chemical weapons program--I don't 
     have to tell you--that has sat precariously in one of the 
     most volatile countries and in one of the most horrific civil 
     wars the world has seen in a very long time.
       In the span of a few weeks, the curtain that hid this 
     secret chemical weapons program has been lifted and the world 
     is on the verge of requiring that these terrible weapons to 
     be destroyed.
       This resolution breaks new ground in another critical 
     respect. For the first time, the Security Council is on the 
     verge of coming together to endorse the Geneva Communique, 
     calling for the establishment of a transitional governing 
     body with full executive powers. If adopted, we will have 
     achieved what we were unable to do before--unable to do for 
     the last 2\1/2\ years--which is to fully endorse the 
     Communiqu and call for the convening, as soon as possible, of 
     an international conference on its implementation.
       As Ambassador Churkin, with whom we've worked very 
     productively, has just stated, we are hoping for a vote 
     tomorrow in the OPCW Executive Council on the OPCW Executive 
     Council decision. And then in the wake of that vote--and we 
     hope in the immediate wake of that vote--we would have 
     Security Council adoption of this text, which we are 
     optimistic is going to be received very warmly. We're 
     optimistic for an overwhelming vote.
       Before closing, just let me--bear in mind, or note that we 
     should bear in mind, even as we express appreciation for the 
     cooperation that brought us to this moment but let us bear in 
     mind the sobering catalyst for all of this: the use on August 
     21st of chemical weapons against people who were just 
     sleeping in their beds, against children who will never get 
     to share their dreams.
       The precipitant for this effort was as ghastly as anything 
     we have ever seen. And I think the Council members are well 
     aware of that. A number of the Council members referred to 
     the events of August 21 and the importance of keeping the 
     victims of that attack and other chemical weapons attacks in 
     their minds as we seek to move forward.
       The second sobering note, of course, goes beyond chemical 
     weapons, which is that

[[Page 14752]]

     every day Syrians are dying by artillery, by air power, by 
     Scuds. This monstrous conflict has to come to an end. And we 
     are hopeful that the spirit of cooperation that we carried 
     from Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov's 
     negotiations in Geneva back to New York, that that spirit of 
     cooperation will carry over now on humanitarian issues and, 
     fundamentally, on the political solution we all know is 
     needed to this horrific conflict.

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