CONDEMNING THE ASSAD REGIME AND ITS BACKERS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN SYRIA

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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 (\[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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:

\[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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.

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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

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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

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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 \[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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.

\[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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 \[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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

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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, \[H. Res. 1165\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/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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