[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10070-H10073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING THE ASSAD REGIME AND ITS BACKERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT
OF WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1165) condemning the Assad regime and
its backers for their continued support of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Syria.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1165
Whereas Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with the support
of Iran and the Russian Federation, has committed widespread
atrocities against the people of Syria, leading to one of the
worst humanitarian crises in over 70 years, including the
deaths of more than 500,000 people, the destruction of more
than 50 percent of Syria's critical infrastructure, and the
forced displacement of more than 14 million people;
Whereas the Assad regime, with the support of Iran and the
Russian Federation, has conducted violent attacks against
humanitarian aid workers, supplies, facilities, transports,
and assets, and impeded the access and secure movement of
humanitarian personnel, and has used chemical weapons against
the Syrian people on numerous occasions;
Whereas since the introduction of Russian forces into Syria
in September 2015, Russia has deployed over 68,000 Russian
personnel to help sustain the Assad regime, and has
reportedly transferred the S-300 surface-to-air missile
system to Syria, giving Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, and other
Iranian-backed militias additional cover for their activities
in Syria;
Whereas Iran is estimated to have deployed over 3,000
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and regular Iranian
military advisers to Syria and approximately 20,000 militia
fighters, including 'Asaib ahl al-Haqq, Harakat Hezbollah al-
Nujaba, Fatimeyoun, and Zainabiyoun, which continue to expand
their presence in Syria;
Whereas Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has
stated ``it's unlikely Russia has the will or capability to
fully implement and counter Iranian decision and influence''
in Syria;
Whereas Iran's positions in Syria, which Iran has used to
launch rockets and drones toward Israel, are critical to
Iran's efforts to create a ``land bridge'' from Iran through
Iraq and Syria to Lebanon so that it can arm Hezbollah in
Lebanon with rockets and missiles, and increase the accuracy
of Hezbollah's munitions;
Whereas Iranian-backed militias have demolished civilian
areas, implemented sieges, and evicted civilian residents
throughout Syria in a campaign of forced displacement, where
Iranian-funded reconstruction plans to sell housing
developments to foreign militias risk establishing a
permanent Iranian presence and obstacle for return of
thousands of Syrian families who fled Syria; and
Whereas the Syrian Government has reportedly signed
agreements with Iran and IRGC controlled companies with
respect to military cooperation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports a political solution to the conflict which
will result in the air space of Syria no longer being
utilized by the Assad regime or Russia to target civilians,
an end to the sieges carried out by Assad, Russia, Iran,
Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed militias, and the release
of all political prisoners;
(2) opposes international reconstruction funds from
supporting projects in Syria in areas controlled by the Assad
regime as long as the Assad regime remains in power;
(3) condemns the Assad regime, the Government of the
Russian Federation, the Government of Iran, and Hezbollah and
other Iranian-backed militias for their continued support of
war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, including
the widespread use of torture, summary executions, prolonged
sieges, forced relocations, and indiscriminate targeting of
civilians and humanitarian actors;
(4) recognizes that as long as the Assad regime remains in
power, it will continue to oppress the Syrian people, the
Russian Federation will continue to expand its influence in
the Middle East, and Iran will remain entrenched in Syria;
(5) calls upon the President and Secretary of State to work
towards a sustainable political transition in Syria that
results in a government in Syria that is not a danger to its
own people, abandons its chemical weapons program, allows for
the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of displaced
persons, and does not provide Iran with a platform to
threaten Syria's neighbors;
(6) urges the President and the Secretary of State develop
a strategy to prevent a permanent Iranian presence in Syria,
understanding that the Russia Federation has not proven to be
a viable partner to help in this effort;
(7) urges the Secretary of State to investigate and
determine whether the forced displacement of Syrian civilians
from their homes through brutal sieges, starvation, and
indiscriminate targeting of civilians, and repopulation with
foreign fighters constitutes sectarian or ethnic cleansing;
and
(8) calls on the President and Secretary of State to
determine whether militias operating in Syria under the
command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),
including Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Fatemiyoun,
Zainabioun, and 'Asaib ahl al-Haq are terrorist organizations
and meet the criteria for sanctions pursuant to Executive
Order 13460 or 13582.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution represents a broad bipartisan agreement
that there will be no peace in Syria as long as the Assad regime
remains in power and as long as Russia and Iran continue their
entrenchment in that country.
For 7 years, the world has watched the brutal dictator, Bashar al-
Assad, inflict untold suffering on the Syrian people. Since the
beginning of the conflict, half a million people have been killed and
13 million, largely women and children, remain in dire need of basic
humanitarian assistance in Syria.
The brutal Assad regime continues its onslaught on the civilian
population in Syria, aided by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps on the ground and the Russian Air Force in the sky.
Rather than working to eject Iran from Syria, Russia has been
directly coordinating with Hezbollah, with the IRGC, and with other
Iranian-backed militias that have expanded significantly throughout
Syria.
{time} 1515
Russia has even now reportedly transferred the S-300 surface-to-air
missile system to Syria, giving these militias additional cover for
their activities in Syria.
Despite signing a deescalation agreement with President Trump last
year
[[Page H10071]]
promising a cease-fire in southern Syria, Russia directly assisted
Iranian-backed militias in their takeover of southern Syria, moving
these militias right up to the border with Israel.
This resolution makes clear that it is unrealistic to believe that
Russia will ever be a reliable partner to counter the Iranian presence
in Syria.
As Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has stated so clearly:
It's unlikely Russia has the will or capability to fully
implement and counter Iranian decision and influence in
Syria.
This resolution also states that Iranian-backed militias should be
investigated for the war crime of sectarian cleansing for their forced
displacement of civilians in the Damascus suburbs, which has included
demolishing civilian areas, implementing brutal sieges, and selling
housing developments and then turning them over, once they have been
occupied by these militias, to Iranian-backed militias, including
Hezbollah.
Finally, this resolution calls for the administration to act quickly
to develop a strategy towards a political transition in Syria where the
Assad regime leaves power and all Iranian and Russian forces leave the
country.
The Assad regime's atrocities, which include the use of chemical
weapons, barrel bombs, and brutal sieges, helped create the conditions
whereby ISIS emerged in the first place.
The regime's continued survival, along with the Iranian influence in
Syria, will only perpetuate the cycle of violence, once again creating
the conditions for the reemergence of ISIS or al-Qaida and other
radical Islamist groups.
After 7 years of horror, U.S. policy in Syria should be guided by
this key reality: there is no solution to the conflict in Syria as long
as the brutal Assad regime remains in power.
Efforts to legitimatize the regime through so-called constitutional
reform negotiations or in allowing Assad to run in elections are
unrealistic and are doomed to fail.
Mr. Speaker, lastly, I want to thank my colleague and friend, the
ranking member of this committee, Mr. Engel, for his efforts over the
years in order to try to focus our attention.
From the beginning, when this process of people protesting in
Damascus began with people walking through the street saying,
``Peaceful, peaceful,'' and we watched on CNN as the automatic weapons
of Assad's forces opened up on those peaceful protesters, from that day
on, Mr. Engel worked to try to get engagement and to head off some of
this crisis, the magnitude of which we deal with today as a result of
the Iranian militias.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume,
and I rise in support of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Mast of Florida, who authored this
measure, and I want to, again, extend my thanks to Chairman Royce,
particularly for his very kind and generous words.
We have worked for the last several years, so many years, on the
Foreign Affairs Committee to try to bring peace to Syria. We have been
frustrated in watching the dictator kill hundreds of thousands of his
own people, innocent men, women, and children.
I think one of the most horrific days that I have ever spent in
Washington was when we had Caesar, the photographer who was part of the
regime but defected and escaped with his pictures of genocide and
pictures of unbearable, unthinkable atrocities that kind of scarred my
brain forever, and I know the same goes for the chairman. We will never
forget it. And we will keep trying to fight for the people of Syria and
try to bring the dictator and the people who allow him to do these
horrific things to justice.
It has been very difficult, because the Russians have embraced Assad,
but it is absolutely disgraceful.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Royce for his kind words. He has
said a lot of things about what I did, but it couldn't have possibly
been done without him as the chairman working side by side, the two of
us, pushing these important issues, and Syria has certainly been a
situation that needed our attention.
I just regret that we weren't able to do more to stop the slaughter
in Syria, but I want to thank Chairman Royce, who has just been
fantastic in terms of having a moral compass to say that what is going
on should not stand and calling attention to the atrocities.
So, Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce and Mr. Mast.
Mr. Speaker, the crisis in Syria has gone on for far too long, a
civil war that has killed at least half a million people, displaced
more than 11 million Syrians, and stoked instability and extremism well
beyond Syria's borders.
Iran and al-Qaida are on Israel's doorstep; refugees have overwhelmed
Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan; and the human suffering inside Syria is
still unimaginable.
Just 2 weeks ago, an American family learned the tragic news that
their daughter was tortured and killed in Assad's prison. Leila was one
of thousands of cases of enforced disappearance in Syria.
The Assad regime has had plenty of help, as this resolution points
out. The Syrian regime was on the ropes earlier in the conflict when
Iran sent thousands of fighters to defend its ally, Bashar al-Assad.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been battle hardened, gaining fighting
experience in Syria, displacing communities wholesale, and remaking
Syrian society in their image.
The Russian Government came in to save the Assad regime when they
again seemed to be losing the war, and the Russians sent fighter jets
to target civilian populations and infrastructure, hospitals,
schools, markets. We have heard from Syrian doctors who were delivering
babies as air strikes threatened them from above, and then when
civilian defense workers, the White Helmets showed up to clear the
rubble, Russian bombs targeted the emergency workers, too. That is just
shameful.
And it is not over. Idlib, a city of 2 million people, many of whom
fled other conflict zones, is now under threat of annihilation. Truth
be told, terrorists have a strong presence there, emboldened by the war
crimes of the Syrian regime and their allies.
As Assad seeks to consolidate power and territory, millions of
innocent people stand in the crosshairs.
There is no military solution to this conflict. Assad may believe
that he can bomb his way out of this, but the regime's presence will
continue to be a magnet for extremists.
Iran's permanent presence in Syria will only lead to further
instability. And let me be very clear: we cannot and should not rely on
Russian assurances to remove Iran from Syria.
You know the old adage, ``Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,
shame on me.'' The only thing that the Russians can be trusted to do in
Syria is foment further instability on behalf of the regime.
This resolution comes at a critical time. It calls on the
administration to work toward a political solution to this conflict and
it seeks to build American leverage in negotiations by opposing
international reconstruction funds that would support projects in
Assad-controlled territory.
Lastly, I want to thank the many Syrian-American groups, which I have
worked closely with, who have been doing whatever they can possibly do
to stop the carnage and the evilness of the Assad regime. I will be
continuing to work with the Syrian-American groups. Hopefully we can
one day restore freedom and democracy to that beleaguered land.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this resolution, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce and Ranking
Member Engel for their leadership in bringing this bipartisan measure
to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to especially thank the author of this
important resolution, my Florida colleague, Brian Mast, for his efforts
in calling attention to the bloody Assad regime. What a highly valued
member Mr. Mast is to our committee and to this institution. He is an
American hero and an American treasure.
There is no one more responsible for what is going on in Syria, as
Mr. Mast
[[Page H10072]]
has pointed out in his resolution, than Bashar al-Assad. Who is the one
responsible for this massacre of his own people? Al-Assad.
Assad brutally repressed peaceful Syrians who were demanding change
in their country. Assad unleashed thousands of terrorists from the
prisons into Iraq in 2003, helping to create the precursor to ISIS, and
he did so again during the Syrian protests of 2011, leading to the
founding and growth of ISIS.
And Assad, with his brutal and insidious tactics, is responsible for
the hundreds of thousands of murders, for war crimes, for crimes
against humanity. He continues to be responsible for the daily terror
occurring in Syria to this day. Bashar al-Assad is the one responsible.
This is not a man who can lead a country. So we must use every tool
at our disposal to put pressure on Assad and his backers, including
pressure on Iran, pressure on Russia. They are the ones who are backing
him. We have got to pass my good friend Mr. Engel's bill, the Caesar
Syria Civilian Protection Act, and the bill that he puts forth with Mr.
Royce, the No Assistance for Assad Act. These are important bills, and
they are still pending in the Senate, as all good bills go, pending in
the Senate.
We must ensure that Assad is not allowed to participate in any future
election in Syria.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Mast of Florida, for authoring
this important resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to give it their
support.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast), a member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee and the author of this bill.
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce for yielding me the
time and for his continued leadership on this critical issue. It has
been an honor to serve with him and to learn from him. Absolutely, I
couldn't say that more seriously. It has been an honor.
Mr. Speaker, I do rise today in support of H. Res. 1165. It is a
resolution condemning the Assad regime and its backers, including Iran
and Russia, for their continued support of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Syria.
Now, after 7 years of war, as was already mentioned, the deaths of
more than half a million people have occurred. Now, let's do a little
bit of math on that. That would be over 70,000 people each year. When
you think of the march of killing each and every day, that is a
government march by the Assad regime of killing over 200 people every
single day of the year.
The atrocities of the Assad regime are still ongoing with the help of
Russia and Iran. And what do these atrocities look like: burning
individuals to death, having them buried under rubble, having an adult
put a 7.62 Kalashnikov round into a child, the use of chemical devices.
The United States must push for an end to this and must push to hold
these perpetrators accountable.
Currently, Iran is estimated to have deployed over 3,000 Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps soldiers into the area. Iran is also
responsible for directing Hezbollah and other militia fighters to
battle on behalf of the regime.
Should Iran be allowed to maintain a permanent military presence in
Syria, it will pose an even greater threat to Israel, to Jordan, and to
all United States interests in the region.
This resolution calls upon the President and the Secretary of State
to work towards a sustainable political transition in Syria and a
strategy to stop a permanent Iranian presence in the region.
{time} 1530
The resolution also condemns the Russian Federation, which has
deployed more than 68,000 Russian personnel, for their continued
support of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria.
H. Res. 1165 reiterates Congress' opposition to U.S. assistance to
government-controlled areas in Syria.
Mr. Speaker, the United States must continue to work with our
partners to condemn the Assad regime's horrific abuses against the
Syrian people and counter Iran and Russia's malign influence in the
region.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical
resolution.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Kildee).
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1165, condemning the
Assad regime and its backers for their continued support of war crimes
and crimes against humanity in Syria: nearly half a million Syrians
killed, 14 million Syrians displaced, and countless acts of atrocities
from the Assad regime supported by its backers in Iran and in Russia.
Clearly, it is right that Congress takes this step and acts.
This resolution urges a political solution to this conflict, to
ensure the Assad regime cannot use the air to target its own civilians.
This resolution brings much-needed attention to the atrocities of
this regime, which is responsible for horrific crimes, again, against
its own people.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their hard work and advocacy
for this resolution that seeks to hold this regime accountable, and I
urge my colleagues to pass this legislation. It shines a bright light
on what is happening in Syria and the crimes committed by the Assad
regime, along with its backers in Russia and in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this resolution, and, again, I
thank my colleagues for their work on this effort.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for more than 7 years, the butcher of
Syria has been slaughtering his own people. This relentless mass
murderer has left half a million dead and millions others displaced. He
has bombed, gassed, gunned down, and executed the Syrian people. He is,
obviously, the Satan of Syria.
After the horrors of World War II, we were supposed to have rid the
world of such evil, but, for years, we have shamefully watched it
unfold. Mr. Speaker, it has always been crystal-clear who is
responsible. The criminal butcher, the barbarian, Bashar al-Assad and
his Russian and Iranian outlaws have turned the cradle of civilization
into ashes.
Russian and Syrian warplanes have laid waste to Syrian towns,
hospitals, and aid convoys from the air. On the ground, thousands of
Iranian-backed militiamen have waged a campaign of outright sectarian
cleansing.
These militias are the wicked arm of the IRGC and the Ayatollah of
Iran. These militias are one of the most dangerous aspects of this
chaotic war. They not only kill innocents today, but they kill any hope
for a future Syria by sowing deep divisions along sectarian lines.
The time is well past that they are all called to be accountable.
That is why I introduced legislation more than a year ago calling on
the State Department to designate some of these Iranian-supported
militias as terrorists. I am pleased this resolution also calls for
these groups to be designated as such. These killers must meet justice
for the crimes they have committed against the people of the world.
I congratulate Mr. Mast on bringing this to the House floor. I also
thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their tenacious
efforts in making sure the American people understand what is taking
place throughout the world.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
And that is just the way it is.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me say that this resolution reminds us
of the importance of building leverage as we push for an end to the
crisis in Syria. We can and we should do more to increase that
leverage.
Congress, as Chairman Royce mentioned before, could do so today by
passing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, my legislation to
pressure the Assad regime to stop the violence, to sit down and
negotiate an end to this conflict.
It really breaks my heart that it is being held in the other body,
and we are hoping, before the end of the year, that we can shake it
loose. It had tremendous support in this Chamber, bipartisan support,
support on both sides
[[Page H10073]]
of the aisle. The House passed it twice; the administration strongly
supports it; and the Syrian people desperately need it. The clock is
running out in the other body, with one single Member opposing it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Caesar bill and the
resolution before us today, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume
In closing, I thank my colleagues, the ranking member of the Foreign
Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel; Major Brian Mast of Florida; as well as
the leadership on both sides of the aisle, for their bipartisan work on
this resolution.
The Syrian people deserve a government that respects basic human
rights and a government that is free of Iranian-backed militias. As
long as the Assad regime remains in power, this will not be the case.
The administration needs to develop a strategy toward a sustainable
political transition in Syria and to prevent Iranian entrenchment,
recognizing that Russia has not been a reliable partner in either
effort.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to back this resolution to once
again condemn the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran for their unspeakable
crimes against the Syrian people, and I yield back the balance of my
time
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1165.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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