Syria Transition Support Act of 2013

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “Syria Transition Support Act of 2013”.

Table of contents— The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Since mass peaceful demonstrations started in Syria on March 15, 2011, the Government of Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad, has responded by committing human rights abuses and launching a violent crackdown that has claimed an estimated 70,000 lives and degenerated into a civil war.

The civil war has caused a humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, there are more than 1,400,000 Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq and more than 2,600,000 Syrians displaced within the country. More than three-quarters of refugees and internally displaced persons are women and children.

The refugee crisis threatens the stability of the Middle East, putting immense burdens on Syria’s neighbors, most notably Lebanon and Jordan, but also Turkey and Iraq.

The civil war has increased the danger that the Assad regime could lose control of its chemical weapons stockpile, with the chemical weapons potentially falling into the hands of terrorist groups like Hizballah and al Qaeda.

On April 25, 2013, the White House issued a letter to Congress stating that “our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent Sarin”.

The security vacuum in Syria has created a safe haven for both Shia and Sunni extremists, which could threaten the security of the United States and its partners in the region.

Instability in Syria has threatened Israel’s security, particularly on the shared border along the Golan Heights.

A change of government in Syria could be a significant blow to the Government of Iran and Hizballah, which would lose a strong ally and which have also been aggressively providing military and other assistance to Bashar al-Assad’s forces, including through the trafficking of weapons and supplies on commercial flights originating from or terminating in Iran.

The commitments made by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces at the international meeting in Istanbul on April 20 and 21, 2013, constitute an important endorsement of shared principles and objectives that should guide United States Government cooperation with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and affiliated forces. These principles include a commitment to the territorial integrity of Syria, a rejection of sectarianism and extremism, and pledges to secure chemical weapons and support nonproliferation efforts.

It is vital to the national security interests of the United States to ensure that the United States planning and programs, specifically those conducted under the authorities or funding provided in or authorized under this Act, are focused on ensuring a stable and appropriate political transition in Syria and limiting the threats posed by extremist groups, weapons proliferation, sectarian and ethnic violence, and refugee flows in the aftermath of the current conflict.

The President’s goals of Assad leaving power, an end to the violence, and a negotiated political settlement in Syria are prerequisites for a stable, democratic future for Syria and regional peace and security, but absent decisive changes to the present military balance of power on the ground in Syria, sufficient incentives do not yet exist for the achievement of such goals.

The leadership of many United States friends and allies, including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the President of France, the Prime Minister of Turkey, the King of Jordan, the King of Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, and the Amir of Qatar, have stated their strong support for more robust international response to change the military balance of power on the ground in Syria.

The President should increase his consultations with Congress regarding what additional resources and authorities may be necessary to support United States national security interests in Syria, including the defense of United States allies and partners in the Middle East.

strongly condemns the ongoing violence and widespread human rights violations perpetrated against the Syrian people by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad;

should support civilians and innocent victims of the conflict in Syria, particularly women and children who are displaced and vulnerable to physical and psychological exploitation;

affirms the neutrality of medical professionals providing humanitarian assistance and health care on a non-political basis and condemns attacks against such personnel or interference in the provision of medical care;

should support efforts of democratically oriented political opposition groups in Syria to agree upon a political transition plan that is inclusive and protects the rights of all minority ethnic groups in the country;

welcomes the pledges of humanitarian assistance made by the Governments of Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and members of the European Union, and encourages prompt delivery of those pledges, which will contribute to meeting the needs of the victims of this conflict, and encourages all donors to coordinate with the United Nations;

should help ensure that, once a stable transitional government is established in Syria, it is committed to multiparty democracy, open and transparent governance, respect for human rights and religious freedom, protection of refugees and asylees, promoting peace and stability with its neighbors, enhancing the rule of law, and rehabilitating and reintegrating former combatants; and

should fully implement existing sanctions on Syria, including Executive Order 13606, dated April 22, 2012, which sanctions any individual or entity that assists or enables the commission of serious human rights abuses, through computer or network disruption, tracking, or monitoring, by the Government of Syria or the Government of Iran.

to support transition from the current regime to a just and democratic state that is inclusive and protects the rights of all Syrians regardless of religion, ethnicity, or gender;

to assist the people of Syria, especially internally displaced persons and refugees, in meeting basic needs including access to food, health care, shelter, and clean drinking water;

to provide political and economic support to those neighboring countries who are hosting refugees fleeing Syria and to international organizations that are providing assistance and coordinating humanitarian relief efforts;

to oppose the unlawful use of violence against civilians by all parties to the conflict in Syria;

to use a broad array of instruments of national power to expedite a negotiated solution to the conflict in Syria, including the departure of Bashar al-Assad;

to recognize the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (in this Act referred to as the Syrian Opposition Coalition or SOC) as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people;

to engage with opposition groups that reflect United States interests and values, most notably the Syrian Opposition Coalition, any legitimate successor groups, including appropriate subgroups within the opposition that are representative of the Syrian people, as well as the broader international community, that are committed to facilitating an orderly transition to a more stable democratic political order, including—

to promote the territorial integrity of Syria and continuity of the Syrian state by supporting a post-Assad government that is capable of providing security, services, and political and religious rights to its people;

to provide foreign assistance, defense articles, defense services, and training to specific members of the Syrian Supreme Military Council, particular units of the Free Syrian Army, and other Syrian entities opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad that have been properly and fully vetted and share common values and interests with the United States;

to closely coordinate with key partners on contingency planning, including Turkey, Jordan, Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the European Union, to ensure that these partners are prepared for an appropriate response to the evolving situation in Syria, including being ready and capable of securing of chemical or biological weapons or other proliferation emergencies, preventing the flow of fighters and weapons out of Syria into neighboring countries, or taking other measures against the Government of Syria, including contingency planning for a no-fly zone;

to support efforts to identify and document the activities of those individuals who target or lead units or organizations that target civilian populations and vulnerable populations, including women and children, or have engaged in otherwise unlawful acts, and to ensure that they are held accountable for their actions; and

to ensure a stable and appropriate political for their actions;

to support programs that provide scholars, scientists, and tertiary level students in Syria and their families, whose lives, health, and freedoms are at risk as a result of their academic pursuits, fellowship and scholarship opportunities at safe host universities outside Syria in order to ensure that they can be an asset to the rebuilding of a stable and democratic Syria;and

to ensure a stable and appropriate political transition in Syria and limit the threats posed by extremist groups, weapons proliferation, sectarian and ethnic violence, and refugee flows in the aftermath of the current conflict.