SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 164, No. 41

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SYRIA

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to speak about the ongoing horrific

violence in the nation of Syria, which seems to have hit yet new lows

in terms of barbarity and Russian enabling. The senseless violence--in

service of nothing more than enabling Syrian strongman Bashir al-Assad

to maintain ironfisted rule over a country he has personally driven to

ruin--demands the world's attention.

Quite simply, President Trump, who lambasted President Obama's

approach to Syria, has sat by as the regime continues to use chemical

weapons, relentlessly bomb civilians, ignore the unanimous U.N.

Security Council ceasefire, and allows Iran to build its radical

foothold in Syria. One missile strike is not a long term policy.

President Trump's silence as Russian President Putin not only continues

to meddle in our democracy but also empowers and enables the Syrian

butcher is simply inexplicable and diminishes American leadership.

Let me start with the horror that has unfolded in Eastern Ghouta in

the last few weeks. This area has actually been under siege by Syrian

Government forces since 2013, but last week, Assad's henchmen stepped

up their attacks. For over 2 weeks, Syrian forces supported by Russian

warplanes have relentlessly bombarded Eastern Ghouta in a campaign that

has killed over 1,000 people, wounded almost 5,000, and left 400,000

civilians trapped without food or medicine.

The siege had already led to chronic food and medicine shortages,

devastating the population of Eastern Ghouta and leaving scores

severely malnourished. The bombings have forced people to take shelter

in their basements rather than risk death. Too frightened to venture

outside to face the onslaught of mortar shells, barrel bombs, cluster

bombs, and bunker-busting munitions, the civilian residents of Eastern

Ghouta are being compelled to spend days without food or fresh air,

suffocating in the heavily polluted air.

Despite the U.N. ceasefire, the number of dead climbs every day--from

bombings, from ground assaults, and from hunger. Only yesterday,

Assad's forces killed over 90 civilians and wounded over 300.

The number of casualties has overwhelmed rescuers and hospitals.

Catastrophically, the Assad regime has chosen to re-employ one of its

most heinous tactics and has bombed at least 28 hospitals and clinics.

Doctors Without Borders said 15 of the 20 hospitals it supports have

been destroyed or damaged, reducing access to emergency services just

when they were most needed.

Doctors have run out of resources to treat patients. Doctors are

being forced to make the most difficult choices and sometimes,

tragically, leave critically wounded patients to die. A doctor in

Eastern Ghouta said, \\\`\\\`We have a horrible situation here. We're being

targeted with all kinds of weapons nonstop. We lack everything, water,

food, medical supplies, shelter. This is a disaster. Everyone is

waiting to die.''

I spoke to a deeply respected friend from Chicago the other day who

knows this crisis all too well, Dr. Mohammed Sahloul, who leads the

heroic Syrian American Medical Association. He and his brave colleagues

regularly travel to Syria to help provide medical treatment to victims

of the war. He told me horrific accounts of the latest bombing and

disappointment at the world's seeming inaction amid such heinous

cruelty.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Eastern Ghouta a

\\\`\\\`hell on Earth.'' United Nation's human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-

Hussein called the onslaught in Eastern Ghouta a \\\`\\\`monstrous campaign

of annihilation.'' He added, \\\`\\\`When you are prepared to kill your own

people so easily, lying is easy too. Claims by the government of Syria

that it is taking every measure to protect its civilian population are

frankly ridiculous.''

Most troublingly, Assad's ruthless regime continues using chemical

weapons to attack its own civilians despite Syria agreeing to eliminate

its chemical weapons in 2013. We are in 2018 now and have seen the

repeated use of chemicals to attack innocent people on the streets of

Syria.

Among his various and numerous atrocities, Bashar al-Assad has made

routine the use of internationally banned chemical weapons. He has

deployed them against his own people nearly 200 times over 7 years. He

has used them against very young children and the elderly, people who

are clearly not fighters on the battlefield. He has targeted civilians

repeatedly with sarin gas, a weapon notably developed by another

abominable regime: the Nazis.

In 2013, Russia worked with a global coalition, including the United

States, to ostensibly destroy Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons,

but the world watched in horror as Assad barbarically unleashed sarin

gas on civilians in the town of Khan Shaykhun again in April 2017.

Maybe you, too, saw the very disturbing reporting a week ago on \\\`\\\`60

Minutes.''

While the United States responded to that incident, Russia has

allowed Assad to conduct many other chemical attacks. In fact, in

Eastern Ghouta, Assad has continued to attack civilians--among them at

least 21 children--with chemical weapons. Just yesterday, doctors there

said that at least 29 patients were showing effects consistent with

exposure to chlorine munitions.

Instead of trying to stop this savage behavior, Russia stands by its

client-state. Russia continues to obfuscate and deny these horrific

attacks, despite much evidence substantiating the use of chemical

weapons.

In fact, Russia has seemingly condoned Assad's cruel use of chemical

weapons on innocent civilians. The United Nations was investigating

Assad's chemical attacks until late last year when Russia repeatedly

blocked continuing the investigation. The U.N. investigation seemed to

be getting too close to the truth for Russia's comfort, so it used its

vote to prevent the facts from being laid bare.

Unfortunately, Russia's negative influence doesn't end there. For 3

days, Russia blocked a ceasefire from taking hold in Eastern Ghouta.

For 3 days, Russia delayed much-needed food, medicine, and emergency

aid to reach the distressed civilian population. For 3 days, the

entirety of the U.N. Security Council, save Russia, agreed an immediate

ceasefire was necessary.

Even though the Security Council finally agreed to a 30-day ceasefire

in Syria, Assad flouted international order as his warplanes continued

to carry out airstrikes targeting civilians in Eastern Ghouta. He also

launched a massive ground assault against Eastern Ghouta.

Hundreds of people have been killed since the ceasefire was supposed

to have begun. The Assad regime has prevented humanitarian relief from

reaching those who are hurt or sick, and no civilians have been able to

leave because of the constant bombardment.

The man who runs the regional command in charge of U.S. troops in

Syria, General Joseph Votel, has said that Russia plays \\\`\\\`the role of

both arsonist and fireman--fueling tensions and then trying to resolve

them in their favor.'' Instead of reasoning with its vassal-

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state and enforcing the ceasefire, Russia egregiously has prevented the

ceasefire from taking hold.

Once again, Russia is abetting Assad's defiance and destruction for

its own perverse purposes. At the very least, it is abdicating its role

as a permanent member of the Security Council.

What can be done about this devastating situation? Regrettably, there

are no easy answers.

But a President who previously argued that \\\`\\\`heinous actions by the

Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration's

weakness and irresolution'' has to demonstrate some resolve. I call on

President Trump to put genuine pressure on Russian President Vladimir

Putin to rein in Assad and end Russian obfuscation in the U.N. Security

Council as the carnage and number of likely war crimes mount.

Any discussion with Putin must also address deeply troubling--and

seemingly ignored--reports that Russian mercenaries controlled by

Yevgeny Prigozhin attacked U.S. Special Operations Forces in Syria,

with approval of the highest levels of the Kremlin. Prigozhin is the

same Russian oligarch who was recently indicted on charges of running a

troll farm targeting American voters.

Donald Trump has also called on \\\`\\\`all civilized nations'' to help end

the \\\`\\\`slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.'' I have to imagine that the

United States is included in his exhortation. Unhappily, he has also

recommended a 30-percent cut in our already minuscule foreign

assistance and diplomacy budget. The United States must do more to meet

the humanitarian needs of Syrians suffering the ravages of a dreadful

war.

Incredibly, at a time when a long-term diplomatic and political

solution will be needed in Syria, this administration has marginalized

our top diplomatic expertise at the Department of State. This is wildly

self-defeating.

We have taken a back seat to Russia and Iran in Syria long enough. We

can see every day the devastating results: more violence and the

further fracturing of a country and a region that have suffered at the

hands of tyrants too long.

Despite the important achievement made by our military in destroying

ISIS in Syria, Syria will remain a monumental security, humanitarian,

and governance challenge for the United States and its allies,

including Israel, for years to come. Russia and Iran are vying for the

spoils of the civil war, with civilians paying the highest price. We

don't want to leave U.S. forces in Syria indefinitely, but doing

nothing to bring a lasting peace to Syria is the worst option.

As such, President Trump, I call on your administration to come up

with a real Syria strategy to bring an end to a war--and the senseless

suffering--that has gone on for too long.

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