Sec. 3. Sense of Congress
412 words·~2 min read·
/bill/113/hr/1327/ih/section-3·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of the Congress that— the United States should increase its humanitarian support for individuals affected by the brutal conflict in Syria—refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and others—and should urge its friends and allies to do likewise; Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon should be commended for keeping their borders open and providing other support to individuals fleeing the violence and upheaval in Syria and for allowing them to seek international protection; the President should urge countries in the region to keep their borders open to refugees and to comply with international humanitarian and refugee law; the President should urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to expedite protection and resettlement of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees; in view of the violence and bloodshed in Syria, the President should provide temporary immigration relief measures, including renewal of Temporary Protected Status, expedited requests for change or extension of nonimmigrant status, expedited processing of immigrant petitions for Syrians in the United States, and granting humanitarian parole to Syrian nationals with approved immigrant petitions waiting abroad; to the extent feasible, the United States should coordinate its assistance to Syrian refugees and to individuals inside Syria with the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit; the Assad regime has committed manifold war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the individuals responsible must be brought to justice; the United States should pursue appropriate mechanisms to hold accountable individuals responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria;
United States military assistance should be provided only to groups that demonstrate a commitment to— securing and safeguarding, and ultimately eliminating, Syrian chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons-related materials that come under their control; full cooperation with the United States and the international community in accomplishing that goal; and respecting all previous international agreements that have been signed by Syria, including agreements reached under the auspices of the United Nations; the United States should work in cooperation with its friends and allies to provide non-lethal military equipment, such as helmets and body armor, to friendly Syrian opposition military forces; all countries, and especially Iraq, should deny use of their airspace to Syrian-bound Iranian aircraft, unless those aircraft have first been forced to land, are thoroughly inspected, and found to be weapons-free; and the United States and its international partners should take concrete steps to ensure that women are full and equal participants in all negotiations regarding the future of Syria and in all transitional and future government institutions.