October
14,
2011
By Joe Koayess
Office of Congressional
Relations
US House
Committee on Foreign Affairs
I- Title:
Iran and Syria: Next Steps—Part II
II-
Transcripts and Webcast
October 14, Testimonies:
The Honorable
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairwoman of the House of
Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The Honorable
Steve Chabot, member of the House of Representatives
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The Honorable
David S. Cohen, Under Secretary for Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence, Department of Treasury.
The Honorable
Wendy R. Sherman, Under Secretary on Foreign
Affairs, State Department.
Webcast:
Iran and Syria:
Next Steps—Part II
III-
Excerpts:
Remarks of the
Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
I ask Under
Secretary Sherman: What actions do you intend to
take to send a clear message to the Syrian regime
that we will not tolerate actions that threaten our
nation?
We need a
policy that goes beyond merely sanctioning
individuals in the Assad regime to one that provides
a comprehensive strategy toward Syria.
I worked in
authoring the Syria Freedom Support Act, and the
Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform
and Modernization Act, which require additional
crippling sanctions on both the Iranian and Syrian
regimes.
The time is
now.
__________________________________________________________________
This lesson is
not lost on the Syrian regime, whose state-appointed
mouthpiece has warned Western countries against
intervention in Syria, including threats to
retaliate with suicide bombings in their countries.
These are not idle threats from Damascus. One need
only to recall that, not too long ago, Syria was
caught red-handed pursuing nuclear weapons
capabilities. And, most recently, a Syrian spy was
arrested after targeting, in the United States,
American citizens of Syrian-origin opposed to the
regime.
So I kindly and
respectfully ask Under Secretary Sherman: What
actions do you intend to take to hold Iran to
account, and, in so doing, send a clear message to
the Syrian regime that we will not tolerate actions
that threaten our nation?
Russia and China
showed their true colors last week in the Security
Council when they vetoed a resolution rebuking
Syria’s Iran-backed dictatorship for its assaults on
its unarmed population. They still form an
impassable obstacle to effective multilateral action
on Iran. The draft Syria resolution was reportedly
watered down multiple times and only hinted at the
possibility of sanctions, all in an attempt to
placate Moscow.
… We also need a
policy that goes beyond merely sanctioning
individuals in the Assad regime to one that provides
a comprehensive strategy toward Syria.
…I have also
worked closely with Mr. Engel in authoring the Syria
Freedom Support Act, and with Mr. Sherman in
authoring the Iran, North Korea, and Syria
Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act,
which, combined, would require additional crippling
sanctions on both the Iranian and Syrian regimes.
For U.S. and
global security, these regimes must be made to
understand that the cost of their aggressive actions
will be too great for them to bear, and that they
must immediately abandon their nuclear weapons
programs, unconventional weapons and ballistic
missile development, support for violent extremists,
and the repression of their own people. The time is
now.
Congressman
Chabot Issues Statement Encouraging Tougher Policy
Approach on Iran and Syria
Since taking
office, the Obama Administration’s policy toward
Iran and Syria has been characterized chiefly by its
engagement with the ruling regimes. Whether or not
that was the right policy at the time, the situation
we face today with respect to these two countries is
vastly different than it was in January 2009.
Recent actions
make this conclusion irrefutable. Damascus is not
only continuing to arrest, beat, torture, and murder
its way through the current protests, but it is now
exporting its brutality to Lebanon in flagrant
violation of international law. Over the past
several weeks, the Syrian army has on numerous
occasions violated Lebanese sovereignty territorial
sovereignty. One recent incursion culminated in the
death of a Lebanese farmer after Syrian armored
vehicles allegedly penetrated approximately two and
a half miles into Lebanese territory in clear
violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559
and 1701… Plainly speaking, the blood on their hands
and the impunity with which they continue to act
shows that these regimes are beyond salvation.
The Honorable
David S. Cohen - US Department of the Treasury
Our sanctions
have focused on individuals and entities responsible
for human rights abuses in Syria, senior officials
of the government of Syria, businessmen and
companies that are financially affiliated with the
Syrian regime…
Sanctioning
Bashar al-Assad, the entire government of Syria,
including its agencies, instrumentalities, and
controlled entities, such as the Central Bank of
Syria; Buthaina Shaaban; Walid Al-Moallem; Maher al
Asad; and Mohammed Hamsho,..
We are working
closely with allies to isolate the Syrian government
from the international financial system and deprive
it of access to the significant revenue stream
generated by Syria’s petroleum sector…close
collaboration with the EU… We are also urging
partners in the Gulf to take similar actions.
The regime is
struggling to find buyers for its oil, to access
foreign currency, and to maintain economic stability
We will
continue to work to identify more individuals and
institutions to sanction…
__________________________________________________________________
… Our sanctions
have focused on individuals and entities responsible
for human rights abuses in Syria, senior officials
of the government of Syria, businessmen and
companies that are financially affiliated with the
Syrian regime, and persons linked to other illicit
activities.
These steps,
along with sanctions targeting the Syrian energy
sector and, importantly, efforts to secure parallel
action from partners worldwide, are meant to stop
the Syrian regime’s violence by restricting the
funds it uses to finance the crackdown and increase
the pressure on the Syrian regime so that President
Asad relinquishes power in Syria and makes way for a
democratic transition. Furthermore, our sanctions
are designed to directly affect those most
responsible for the repression in Syria and not
those being abused.
… On April 29,
President Obama signed E.O.13572, targeting Syrian
officials and others responsible for human rights
abuses in Syria, including those related to
repression. On May 18, the President signed E.O.
13573, sanctioning Syrian President Bashar al-Asad
and six senior officials of the Government of Syria
for repression of democratic change, attacks on
protestors, and arrests and harassment of protestors
and political activists.…the President signed E.O.
13582 on August17, blocking the assets of the entire
government of Syria, including its agencies,
instrumentalities, and controlled entities, such as
the Central Bank of Syria. The Order also banned the
exportation of services to Syria, the importation
into the United States of Syrian origin petroleum or
petroleum products and other dealings in, or related
to, Syrian-origin petroleum or petroleum products,
and new investment in Syria...
Some of the more
notable actions against Syrian officials included
sanctions targeted at Buthaina Shaaban, media
advisor to President Asad; Walid Al-Moallem, the
Foreign Minister; the President’s brother Maher al
Asad; and Mohammed Hamsho, a prominent businessman
and member of the Syrian Parliament.
We are working
closely with allies to isolate the Syrian government
from the international financial system and deprive
it of access to the significant revenue stream
generated by Syria’s petroleum sector. … Our close
collaboration with the EU on Syria sanctions has led
to swift and high impact action to target the
nefarious activity of the Asad regime. We are also
urging partners in the region, in the Gulf and
elsewhere to take similar actions to further
demonstrate the international community’s resolve
that the Asad regime’s behavior is unacceptable.
…The regime is
struggling to find buyers for its oil, to access
foreign currency, and to maintain economic
stability… we anticipate that the regime will have
an even harder time getting its oil to market and
accessing foreign currency once EU energy sector
sanctions take full effect in November.
Recent statements
by Syrian Central Bank and Ministry of Finance
officials indicate that the regime’s finances are
strained and commercial activity in the country has
slowed considerably.
Although the full
impact of the sanctions has yet to be seen, such
haphazard economic policy is an indicator that the
government is struggling to manage an economy
squeezed by sanctions while maintaining key domestic
support.
Though we have
implemented comprehensive sanctions against the Asad
government, Treasury
will continue to
work with our colleagues across the Administration,
including our Embassy in Damascus, to identify the
individuals and institutions that are complicit in
the regime’s repression and other nefarious
activities and bring those activities to light
through public designations.
Wendy Sherman
- Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs -
U.S. Department of State
We support a
peaceful transition in Syria to a government by
consent of the governed -- a government based on the
rule of law without privilege or penalty on the
basis of sect, ethnicity or gender.
The regime is
stoking the fears of Syria's minority communities
with blatant propaganda claiming that the regime is
their only protection from sectarian violence. Make
no mistake: the regime is responsible for the cycle
of violence and sectarianism.
Military
defectors and civilians are beginning to take up
arms as they are faced with increasingly brutal
repression… Nevertheless, we urge the opposition to
continue to reject violence
Iran continues
to lend a bloody hand to the Asad regime.
The
establishment of the Syrian National Council is a
positive step. We do not endorse any specific
opposition group. We encourage reaching out directly
to minority communities.
Additional
measures we are seeking include:- asset freezes and
travel bans on regime officials; working with
Syria’s neighbors to prevent the smuggling of cash
and goods across borders; and thwarting regime
efforts to circumvent U.S and EU oil sanctions.
Our most
urgent objective is to: ensure access for
international human rights monitors and journalists.
To starve the
Syrian regime of cash.
Balancing
sanctions with civil society support.
For far too
long, Iran and Syria have worked together to foment
instability in neighboring countries…Iran has long
used Syria as a connection to terrorist groups like
Hizballah, while both countries exercise undue
influence in Lebanon.
Syria is
rapidly losing former allies.
The State
Department is providing grants to support and expand
the use of counter-censorship tools, secure mobile
communications, and other technologies to help
activists and journalists get their messages and
videos past government obstacles.
… For Syria, we
support a peaceful transition to a government by
consent of the governed -- a government based on the
rule of law without privilege or penalty on the
basis of sect, ethnicity or gender.
…We are using a
wide range of diplomatic tools, including capacity
building programs for civil society and the very
visible steps Ambassador Robert Ford has taken to
demonstrate support for the Syrian people, to ensure
that the voices of Iranian and Syrian citizens are
heard and to demonstrate our solidarity with them.
In Syria, the
regime has responded to the international
community’s calls for Asad to step aside with hollow
promises of reform, conspiracy theories and
escalating violence. In its effort to cling to
power, the regime is executing a deliberate and
bloody strategy of channeling peaceful protest into
armed insurrection. Its brutal actions have resulted
in over 2,900 deaths and many more thousands of
cases of assault, arbitrary detention and torture
since the unrest began in March, according to the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights. The regime is
also stoking the fears of Syria's minority
communities with blatant propaganda about foreign
conspiracies and domestic terrorism while cynically
claiming that it is their only protection from
sectarian violence. Make no mistake: the regime is
responsible for the cycle of violence and
sectarianism. The Syrian people are resisting it,
but the regime is working diligently to fulfill its
own prophesy of intercommunal violence.
While the
protests in Syria have thus far been overwhelmingly
peaceful, military defectors and civilians under
siege are beginning to take up arms as they are
faced with increasingly brutal repression and are
denied the political space to organize and make
their voices heard. And while there have indeed
been some cases of attacks on security forces, the
vast majority of those killed are unarmed civilians,
including those tortured and killed while in
government custody.
Nevertheless, we
urge the opposition to continue to reject violence.
To do otherwise would play into the regime's
propaganda and, frankly, make its job of brutal
repression easier. The regime knows how to handle
armed insurrection, but not peaceful protest and
civil disobedience.
Iran continues to
lend a bloody hand to the Asad regime, its closest
ally, by providing material and technical support to
the regime’s campaign against the Syrian people.
There can be no doubt that acquiescence to
instruments of repression inside Iran, like the
Basij and IRGC, also gives aid and comfort to
abusers and repressors outside. Cynically
capitalizing on the Syrian government’s growing
alienation from its Arab neighbors, Iran is seeking
to increase its influence in Syria and help Asad
remain in power at any cost.
…The
establishment of the Syrian National Council, a
coalition of secularists, Christians, Islamists and
Kurds from both inside and outside Syria who have
joined together to form a united front against the
Asad regime, is a positive step. We do not endorse
any specific opposition group –the Syrian people
must decide who can legitimately represent them.
But we encourage
the opposition to maintain unity, articulate a clear
and common vision, develop a concrete and credible
transition plan for Syria, and reach out directly to
minority communities in Syria and abroad.
Additional
measures we are seeking include asset freezes and
travel bans on regime officials and regime enablers,
working with Syria’s neighbors to prevent the
smuggling of cash and goods across borders, and
thwarting regime efforts to circumvent U.S and EU
oil sanctions. Meanwhile, Ambassador Ford has been
doing an exceptional job in providing Washington
policy makers with a clear perspective of what is
happening in Syria. He has boldly delivered strong
messages to the Syrian regime and met repeatedly
with opposition figures and civil society.
…In this way, his
active presence [ambassador Ford] in Syria shows our
resolve to pressure the Syrian regime to end its
senseless killing, demonstrates our solidarity with
the Syrian people, and helps to shine an
international spotlight on the gross abuses of the
Asad regime.
Our most urgent
objective is to ensure expeditious, unfettered, and
sustained access for international human rights
monitors and journalists to bear witness to events
on the ground and prevent some of the regime’s worst
excesses against its people.
To starve the
Syrian regime of cash and make it clear that the
regime’s current path is not sustainable, we are
working with our international partners, including
our Arab allies, to block efforts by the Syrian
regime to circumvent American and European
sanctions…
We believe that
the introduction of more witnesses will play a
critical role in proving to the world what is really
happening in Syria and mobilize fence sitting
nations to join us in bringing greater pressure to
bear on the regime. Balancing sanctions with civil
society support is a strategy that applies not only
to our separate concerns regarding Iran and Syria,
but also to our goal of countering their combined
destabilizing activities across the region. For far
too long, Iran and Syria have worked together to
foment instability in neighboring countries and
maintain weak states in which they can advance their
agendas … It [Iran] has long used Syria as a
strategic and logistical connection to terrorist
groups like Hizballah, while both countries exercise
undue influence in Lebanon.
These links have
facilitated the movement of dangerous materials and
illicit funds for the purpose of targeting U.S. and
our allies’ interests. The United States is
breaking these links by levying sanctions that
constrain both countries’ attempts to proliferate
weapons of mass destruction and to procure and
transfer weapons, funds, and other resources to
proxy terrorist groups. We have imposed financial
sanctions and travel restrictions for IRGC and Hamas
members and related entities to limit their ability
to conduct business.
… Syria is
rapidly losing former allies who refuse to tolerate
the government’s continued use of violence and
repression.
… The State
Department is providing grants to support and expand
the use of counter-censorship tools, secure mobile
communications, and other technologies to help
activists and journalists get their messages and
videos past government obstacles. Diplomats like
Ambassador Ford are also acting as human amplifiers
on behalf of citizens who cannot speak freely
without being targeted by their regimes.
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