[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 SYRIA

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as one of two congressional 
representatives to the United Nations, I rise to recognize and talk 
about the continued human suffering in Syria.
  According to the United Nations, there are over 2 million registered 
refugees from Syria, including 1.4 million children. Last September, 
the United Nations Security Council urged Syria to take immediate steps 
to grant aid organizations full access to conduct relief operations. 
Yet, today, there are reports that the government continues to block 
aid to victims desperately in need of relief, causing needless hunger 
and suffering among Syria's civilian populations. These actions are not 
just an offense against our conscience; they are also offenses against 
international law and United Nations' obligations.
  As world leaders gather next week in pursuit of a political solution, 
we must hold all parties to the Syrian conflict accountable and find a 
negotiated settlement to ending this crisis once and for all through 
the hard work of diplomacy.
  I am proud that the United States is the leading donor of 
humanitarian aid, and I am pleased that the omnibus bill we passed 
yesterday included increased funding to support our ongoing 
humanitarian response.

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