SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 159, No. 113

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SYRIA

Mr. BEGICH. Madam President, I wish to speak about the crisis in

Syria and the role that one company in one nation is playing in

perpetuating the strife.

Every day Syria descends deeper into chaos and civil war. Since March

2011, more than 100,000 Syrians have been killed, an estimated 5

million have been internally displaced, and at least 1.6 million have

fled their war-torn land. By the end of 2013, half of Syria's

population may have left their homes.

The pressure on neighboring countries, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and

Iraq, is only increasing. Beyond the refugee crisis, the resulting

chaos threatens unprecedented violence and instability for all of

Syria's neighbors. As Syria's conflict grows increasingly radical, its

borders are increasably insecure.

In August 2011, now nearly 2 years ago, President Obama declared that

Syria's dictator, Bashar Asad, had lost all legitimacy and \\\`\\\`must go.''

At the time of that statement, the number of Syrians butchered by the

Asad regime numbered a then-shocking 6,000. There were frequent grim

comparisons to Bashar al-Asad's father Hafez, who shelled Hama for days

in 1982, killing perhaps 20,000. Now, today we see a nation on a path

to destruction and Hafez Asad's 20,000 dead is just a fraction of the

number his son has killed.

America must take seriously its commitment to doing what it can to

bring an end to the Asad regime. We must not tolerate the empowerment

of forces antithetical to our interests. And we certainly must not be

complicit in their behavior.

The triumph of the Asad regime would validate and encourage the

murderous behavior of leaders who spurn democracy and the rule of law.

It would empower the belligerent regime in Tehran and offer support to

Iranian proxies who seek to annihilate Israel and ultimately threaten

our own nation.

While we view the Asad regime with rebellion, some others have

stepped up support for him, facilitating Asad's brutal success. Among

these is the Government of Russia. Russia has demonstrated time and

again its support for Bashar Asad and its opposition to our own

humanitarian and democratic values.

Russia has consistently thwarted multilateral efforts to stem the

violence in Syria, including vetoing a United Nations Security Council

resolution that would have penalized Asad's failure to carry out a

peace plan. It has made clear its unwavering support for Asad's

brutality. Addressing the compounding challenges posed by Russian

intransience has proven increasingly difficult. The Obama

administration has made a serious effort to engage in a direct dialog

over matters related to Syria, most recently along the sidelines of the

G8.

But that effort has not been fruitful. Indeed, the Russian Government

has demonstrated no genuine interest in achieving a resolution to the

Syria conflict. Moscow appears to simply enjoy the political cover that

U.S.-Russian talks provide. Russia remains unwavering in its support

for an Asad regime that has hosted its bases, served Russian economic

interests, and anchored what remains of Russia's influence in the

region.

At the same time, Moscow continues to flout international norms.

Russia is acting antagonistically toward our Nation. It perpetuates

human rights abuses at home. It sacrifices the well-being of Russia's

orphans for the sake of political gains. And it is sheltering the

fugitive Edward Snowden.

Russia's state-owned arms export firm, Rosoboronexport, has

exacerbated the crisis in Syria. Instead of promoting a path to peace,

Rosoboronexport has provided the Syrian Government with the means to

perpetrate widespread and systemic attacks on its own people. It has

supplied Asad with guns, grenades, tank parts, attack aircraft, anti-

ship cruise missiles, and air defense missiles, which his regime in

turn uses to perpetuate its rule and murder innocent civilians.

Rosoboronexport also has made a commitment to provide Syria with S-300

advanced anti-aircraft missiles that would protect Syrian air dominance

and facilitate its continued attacks on its civilian population.

These weapons do not threaten the Syrian people alone. They challenge

American interests in the region, including the safety and security of

Israel.

Let's look at one particular example that has received a good deal of

international attention. It is certainly possible that NATO or our own

Nation may decide it is necessary to create a no-fly zone over Syria to

stop the carnage. Russian-provided S-300s would present a major threat

to U.S. or allied aircraft and pilots seeking to establish such a zone.

They would also pose a direct threat to Israeli civil and military air

traffic.

The Russian transfer of weapons to Syria is not just inhumane, but it

is a violation of U.S. law. The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human

Rights Act of 2012 and the Iran, North Korea, and Syria

Nonproliferation Accountability Act, as well as Executive Orders 13382

and 13582 all demand sanctions against \\\`\\\`those entities that materially

assist, or provide support for, the Government of Syria.''

In addition, the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act

prohibits contracts with Rosoboronexport, and section 1233 of \[S. 1197\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1197),

the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, which was

passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, prohibits the use of

funds to enter contracts with Rosoboronexport.

In light of the lack of progress of diplomatic efforts to end Russian

support for the Asad regime and the direct nature of the threat these

escalating arms sales pose, it is incumbent upon the U.S. Government to

pursue more aggressive measures as mandated by U.S. law to create

incentives for the Russians to change their behavior. Indeed, Senator

Kelly Ayotte and I have written to the President urging that he take

this course.

With the exception of particular circumstances of true military

necessity, the administration must end all financial dealings with

Rosoboronexport and begin to impose sanctions against Rosoboronexport.

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We must also impose sanctions against any Russian manufacturers that

provide military equipment such as advanced anti-aircraft systems to

Syria in contravention of U.S. law.

In my view, it is unconscionable for us to provide Russia with the

recently announced $550 million contract for 30 additional Mi-17

helicopters, a purchase the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan

Reconstruction has strongly advised against.

American taxpayer dollars should not be provided to a Russian state-

owned corporation that is complicit in the murder of tens of thousands

of innocent Syrian men, women, and children. The Department of Defense

has the authority to end this contract with Rosoboronexport, which

fails to meet the requirements of the Afghan military, and I have

joined many of my colleagues in urging the administration to review

this sale.

The United States must not be complicit in the arming of the Asad

regime nor in the empowerment of countries like Iran, which will

triumph if Asad succeeds. I urge the administration to impose sanctions

on Rosoboronexport and to demonstrate to Russia that its behavior in

Syria will not be cost-free in its relations with our Nation.

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