III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 45 

Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the United States 

for Syria. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 18 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. 

MERKLEY, and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) submitted the following concurrent 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the 

United States for Syria. 

Whereas, in December 2024, following decades of pressure 

and sacrifice by the Syrian people and from international 

condemnation, the al Assad family’s era of heinous war 

crimes and authoritarian rule ended and Bashar Assad 

fled to Moscow, where Putin granted him political asylum; 

Whereas, as a result of the opportunity his departure has 

presented to the Syrian people, the United States reaffirms its support to all the Syrian people, and urges an 

inclusive and peaceful transition by Syrians, for Syria. 

Whereas national, ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities 

and indigenous peoples, including Alawites, Armenians, 


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•SCON 45 IS 

Druze, Yezidis, Kurds, Shabak, Turkmen, and historic 

Christian communities (including Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, and Melkite peoples) among others, have been integral components of the long cultural lineage of Syria; 

Whereas these same religious and ethnic minorities have 

made, and continue to make, invaluable and significant 

contributions to the social, economic, and political fabric 

of societies across the Middle East and the world, including the United States; 

Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (referred to in 

this preamble as ‘‘ISIS’’) is responsible for carrying out 

a brutal campaign of violence against members of all 

faiths in Syria and Iraq; 

Whereas ethnic and religious minorities were subjected to innumerable atrocities by ISIS, including forced religious 

conversion, kidnapping, slavery, human trafficking, unlawful forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, torture, sexual violence, and sex trafficking, among other crimes; 

Whereas the Secretary of State declared on March 17, 2016, 

and on August 15, 2017, that ISIS is responsible for 

genocide, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities 

against religious and ethnic minority groups in Syria and 

Iraq, including Shia Muslims, Christians, and Yezidis, 

among other religious and ethnic groups; 

Whereas the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–300) affirms that 

it is the policy of the United States to ensure that assistance for religious and ethnic minorities is directed towards those who— 


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•SCON 45 IS 

(1) have the greatest need, including minorities who 

the Secretary of State declared were targeted for genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes; and 

(2) have been identified as being at risk of persecution, forced migration, genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes; 

Whereas members of these religious and ethnic minority communities continue to face daily insecurity, discrimination, 

hardship, and violence from state and non-state actors; 

Whereas Syrian opposition forces have repeatedly signaled 

their intent to respect the rights and dignity of religious 

and ethnic minorities in Syria, but there have been incidents of members of such minorities fleeing their homes 

while there is documented violence and expulsions against 

Kurdish communities by elements of the Syrian National 

Army; 

Whereas the restoration and stabilization of all regions of 

Syria will provide an opportunity for its longstanding diverse ethnic and religious communities to flourish; 

Whereas the Syrian Democratic Forces (referred to in this 

preamble as the ‘‘SDF’’) has been a critical partner to 

United States and allied counter-ISIS and broader 

counterterrorism efforts in Syria, and the United States 

should continue to support and partner with the SDF; 

Whereas the SDF has played a critical role in securing and 

maintaining ISIS detention facilities and ensuring that 

ISIS terrorists do not pose a renewed threat to the region or United States allies or partners; 

Whereas the search continues for Austin Bennett Tice, an 

American journalist, who was kidnapped in Syria on August 14, 2012; and 


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•SCON 45 IS 

Whereas the Syrian Democratic Council— 

(1) serves as the civil administration for much of 

northeast Syria; and 

(2) has provided critical public services and maintained civilian infrastructure in that region throughout 

the Syrian conflict: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) commits to protecting and upholding the 

4 internationally recognized human rights of members 

5 of all religious and ethnic minority communities in 

6 Syria; 

7 (2) calls for an inclusive and peaceful political 

8 transition process in Syria that preserves and pro9 tects the rights and livelihoods of all Syria commu10 nities, including its religious and ethnic minority 

11 communities; 

12 (3) supports the preservation, documentation, 

13 and restoration of— 

14 (A) religious and cultural heritage sites in 

15 Syria; and 

16 (B) community buildings of religious and 

17 ethnic minority communities in the region; 

18 (4) calls upon all state and non-state actors— 

19 (A) to cease any and all support for, or 

20 commission of, all current violence in Syria; and 


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•SCON 45 IS 

1 (B) to refrain from future violence and 

2 acts of reprisal or repression against all Syr3 ians, including religious and ethnic minority 

4 communities in Syria; 

5 (5) encourages the Secretary of State and the 

6 Administrator of the United States Agency for 

7 International Development— 

8 (A) to advocate for the protection of reli9 gious and ethnic minorities in Syria; and 

10 (B) to engage in appropriate steps, includ11 ing targeted sanctions relief and development 

12 programming to support humanitarian needs, 

13 development, and reconstruction in Syria, in14 cluding in religious and ethnic minority commu15 nities; and 

16 (6) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

17 States to finding and securing the release of Austin 

18 Tice. 

Æ 


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