SYRIA; Congressional Record Vol. 159, No. 32

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SYRIA

Mr. REID. Mr. President, each day the world watches in horror at what

is going on in Syria. Seventy thousand people have been killed as

President Bashar al-Assad carries out a campaign of wanton violence

against his own people.

These atrocities have gone on for far too long--seventy thousand dead

Syrians. It is time for this awful dictator-tyrant to step down and

allow his people to pursue a peaceful transition to the democracy which

they crave. Assad grows increasingly desperate as rebels continue to

gain ground despite the full force of Assad's military arsenal of

planes, bombs, and rockets. President Assad should understand the world

is watching his every action and will not tolerate his unforgivable

slaughter of innocent citizens, including the potential future use of

chemical weapons.

President Obama has made clear--and I support him 100 percent--the

use of such chemical weapons would constitute a red line for the United

States and for the national community. Rather than continue to kill his

own people, Assad should end the bloodshed and relinquish power to

Syria's citizens.

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