Sec. 1251. Sense of Congress on the conflict in Syria
878 words·~4 min read·
/bill/113/hr/1960/eh/section-1251A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: The conflict in Syria began in March 2011. As of February 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that approximately 70,000 Syrians have been killed during the conflict. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 1,200,000 Syrians are registered refugees or persons of concern including, over 66,000 in Egypt, over 145,000 in Iraq, over 461,000 in Jordan, over 462,000 in Lebanon, and over 329,000 in Turkey.
Jabhat al-Nusra, a group located in Syria and categorized as an affiliate of al-Qaeda by the intelligence community, presents a direct threat to the interests of the United States and could present a direct threat to the United States. On August 19, 2011, President Obama stated: The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way.
He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside. . The United States is deploying 200 military personnel from the headquarters of the 1st Armored Division to Jordan in order to improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios . In a letter from Miguel Rodriguez, the Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, to Senators McCain and Levin, dated April 25, 2013, it stated that our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin * * * We do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime * * * the President has made it clear that the use of chemical weapons—or the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups—is a red line for the United States of America .
In a press conference with Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama stated: I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game-changer . In August 2012, during a White House press conference, President Obama stated: We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a redline for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. . It is a threat to the vital national security interest of the United States if terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda, obtain chemical or biological material or weapons in Syria.
At a Pentagon press conference on May 2, 2013, Secretary Hagel confirmed that the Obama Administration is re-thinking its opposition to arming the rebels. On April 11, 2013, responding to a question about the need for a supplemental funding request for any potential United States military effort in Syria, Secretary Hagel stated: Yes, I think it is pretty clear that a supplemental would be required. . It is the sense of Congress that— President Obama should have a comprehensive policy and should ensure robust contingency planning to secure United States’ interests in Syria;
President Obama should fully consider all courses of action to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power; the conflict in Syria threatens the vital national security interests of Israel and the stability of Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, the implications of which should be sufficiently weighed by the President when considering policy approaches towards the conflict in Syria; the sale or transfer of advanced anti-aircraft weapons systems to Syria poses a grave risk to Israel and the United States supports Israel’s right to respond to this grave threat as needed; the President should fully consider all courses of action to reinforce his stated redline regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction by the Assad regime in Syria, which could threaten the credibility of the United States with its allies in the region and embolden the Assad regime; the United States should continue to conduct rigorous planning and operational preparation to support any efforts to secure the chemical and biological stockpiles and associated weapons; the United States should have a policy that supports the stability of countries on Syria’s border, including Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Israel; the United States should continue to support Syrian opposition forces with non-lethal aid; the President, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the intelligence community, in cooperation with European and regional allies, should ensure that the risks of all courses of action or inaction regarding Syria are fully explored and understood and that Congress is kept fully informed of such risks; the President should fully consider, and the Department of Defense should conduct prudent planning for, the provision of lethal aid and relevant operational training to vetted Syrian opposition forces, including an analysis of the risks of the provision of such aid and training; should the President decide to employ any military assets in Syria, the President should provide a supplemental budget request to Congress; and the President should use all diplomatic means to disrupt the flow of arms into Syria, including efforts to dissuade Russia from further arms sales with Syria, the influx of weapons and fighters from Hezbollah, and the infiltration of weapons and fighters from Iran.