CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PROTECTION ACT OF 2016; Congressional Record Vol. 162, No. 164

<!-- -->

CAESAR SYRIA CIVILIAN PROTECTION ACT OF 2016

\\\_\\\_\\\_\\\_\\\_\\\_

speech of

HON. ADAM KINZINGER

of illinois

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of

\[H.R. 5732\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/5732), the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016.

In September, a trending comment on Twitter read: This is not

Pompeii, this is Aleppo. Think about that for a minute. The death and

destruction in Aleppo has reached such epic proportions that we are

comparing it to one of the most deadly natural disasters in world

history.

The President and his administration have continued to highlight the

horrors of Syria exhibited by Assad and Putin by using terms like

\\\`\\\`barbarism'', \\\`\\\`beyond the pale'', and \\\`\\\`haunting''. I think the more

apt term for this is \\\`\\\`a problem from hell.''

Yet, even as the President, Secretary of State, and Ambassador to

the UN continue to talk about the carnage in Syria, there has been very

little action to end the suffering of the people of Aleppo and across

Syria.

Mr. Speaker, it pains me every single time I come to the well of the

House to talk about the atrocities in Syria. But we are failing the

innocent people of Syria through our inaction.

Rather than enforcing red lines for Assad's use of chemical weapons

or enhancing sanctions against the Russians for their war crimes in the

bombing of medical facilities and aid convoys, the President and

Secretary of State focus their attention on sham ceasefires that are

continually violated by the people with which we negotiate.

They constantly worry about the Iranians walking away from flawed

nuclear deals instead of leading the global community to end the

atrocities in Syria.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Russia and Iran are

not our allies. Their interests lie in destabilizing Europe and turning

the Middle East into a wasteland of murder and chaos.

Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a true cost for the complicity in war

crimes and crimes against humanity. It's time that Russia, Iran, and

Syria are held accountable.

That is why this bill is so important. It would increase sanctions

on the Assad regime and its supporters for the continued atrocities

committed against the Syrian people. It requires this administration

and any future administration to stand up and impose costs on the

Russians, Syrians, and Iranians for the barrel bombing and gassing of

innocent civilians.

I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Engel and Congressman

Royce for introducing this critical bill.

We owe it to the innocent people of Syria to bring justice against

the Assad regime, Russian military, and their allies and help the

struggling people of Syria.

If we fail to act, fail to lead--this Syrian Civil War will be the

greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.

&nbsp;