SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 159, No. 118

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SYRIA

(Mr. VARGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on Syria.

The real issue is that the Assad regime gassed more than 426 children

and their parents. Those who perished died a horrific, merciless, and

completely unnecessary death. We must come together and act with the

President to create a credible threat of force and, thereby, deter the

future use of chemical weapons.

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Now, I am somewhat optimistic that, as recently reported, Syria is

willing to place its chemical weapons under international control. This

solution could possibly bring a peaceful resolution. But we must

remember that Iran is also watching. The Ayatollah is looking to see if

the U.S. is willing to stand up against those who gas their own people.

Will they really stand up then against the plan to build nuclear

weapons?

We need to stand with the President and send a message to the world

that we mean what we say: that we won't allow Assad to keep gassing his

own people and that we won't allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

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