II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 960 

To foster stability in Syria, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 15, 2013 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. CORKER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To foster stability in Syria, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Syria Transition Support Act of 2013’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

Sec. 3. Findings. 

Sec. 4. Purposes of assistance. 

Sec. 5. No authorization for the use of military force. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES STRATEGY AND CONGRESSIONAL 

OVERSIGHT 

Sec. 101. Report on United States strategy on Syria. 


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Sec. 102. Congressional oversight of United States Government activities in 

Syria. 

TITLE II—HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 201. Humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. 

Sec. 202. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 203. Report on strategy to communicate to the Syrian people about assistance provided by the United States Government. 

TITLE III—PROMOTING AN EFFECTIVE TRANSITION 

Sec. 301. Syria Transition Fund. 

Sec. 302. Adjusting sanctions provisions in preparation for a political transition. 

Sec. 303. Report on Syrian weapons stockpiles. 

Sec. 304. Pre-transition international consensus. 

TITLE IV—SANCTIONS 

Sec. 401. Definitions. 

Sec. 402. Imposition of sanctions with respect to selling, transferring, or transporting defense articles, defense services, or military training 

to the Assad regime of Syria. 

Sec. 403. Imposition of sanctions with respect to persons providing petroleum 

or petroleum products to the Assad regime of Syria. 

Sec. 404. Sanctions described. 

Sec. 405. Waivers. 

Sec. 406. Sense of Congress on sanctions. 

TITLE V—INCREASED SUPPORT FOR THE OPPOSITION 

Sec. 501. Lethal and increased non-lethal support for the vetted opposition. 

1 SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE2 FINED. 

3 In this Act, except as specifically provided in title IV 

4 of this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit5 tees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

6 Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

7 House of Representatives. 

8 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

9 Congress makes the following findings: 

10 (1) Since mass peaceful demonstrations started 

11 in Syria on March 15, 2011, the Government of 


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1 Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad, has responded by 

2 committing human rights abuses and launching a 

3 violent crackdown that has claimed an estimated 

4 70,000 lives and degenerated into a civil war. 

5 (2) The civil war has caused a humanitarian 

6 crisis. According to the United Nations, there are 

7 more than 1,400,000 Syrian refugees registered in 

8 Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq and 

9 more than 2,600,000 Syrians displaced within the 

10 country. More than three-quarters of refugees and 

11 internally displaced persons are women and children. 

12 (3) The refugee crisis threatens the stability of 

13 the Middle East, putting immense burdens on Syr14 ia’s neighbors, most notably Lebanon and Jordan, 

15 but also Turkey and Iraq. 

16 (4) The civil war has increased the danger that 

17 the Assad regime could lose control of its chemical 

18 weapons stockpile, with the chemical weapons poten19 tially falling into the hands of terrorist groups like 

20 Hizballah and al Qaeda. 

21 (5) On April 25, 2013, the White House issued 

22 a letter to Congress stating that ‘‘our intelligence 

23 community does assess with varying degrees of con24 fidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical 


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1 weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the 

2 chemical agent Sarin’’. 

3 (6) The security vacuum in Syria has created a 

4 safe haven for both Shia and Sunni extremists, 

5 which could threaten the security of the United 

6 States and its partners in the region. 

7 (7) Instability in Syria has threatened Israel’s 

8 security, particularly on the shared border along the 

9 Golan Heights. 

10 (8) A change of government in Syria could be 

11 a significant blow to the Government of Iran and 

12 Hizballah, which would lose a strong ally and which 

13 have also been aggressively providing military and 

14 other assistance to Bashar al-Assad’s forces, includ15 ing through the trafficking of weapons and supplies 

16 on commercial flights originating from or termi17 nating in Iran. 

18 (9) The commitments made by the National Co19 alition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition 

20 Forces at the international meeting in Istanbul on 

21 April 20 and 21, 2013, constitute an important en22 dorsement of shared principles and objectives that 

23 should guide United States Government cooperation 

24 with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary 

25 and Opposition Forces and affiliated forces. These 


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1 principles include a commitment to the territorial in2 tegrity of Syria, a rejection of sectarianism and ex3 tremism, and pledges to secure chemical weapons 

4 and support nonproliferation efforts. 

5 (10) It is vital to the national security interests 

6 of the United States to ensure that the United 

7 States planning and programs, specifically those 

8 conducted under the authorities or funding provided 

9 in or authorized under this Act, are focused on en10 suring a stable and appropriate political transition 

11 in Syria and limiting the threats posed by extremist 

12 groups, weapons proliferation, sectarian and ethnic 

13 violence, and refugee flows in the aftermath of the 

14 current conflict. 

15 SEC. 4. PURPOSES OF ASSISTANCE. 

16 The purposes of assistance authorized by this Act 

17 are— 

18 (1) to support transition from the current re19 gime to a just and democratic state that is inclusive 

20 and protects the rights of all Syrians regardless of 

21 religion, ethnicity, or gender; 

22 (2) to assist the people of Syria, especially in23 ternally displaced persons and refugees, in meeting 

24 basic needs including access to food, health care, 

25 shelter, and clean drinking water; 


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1 (3) to provide political and economic support to 

2 those neighboring countries who are hosting refugees 

3 fleeing Syria and to international organizations that 

4 are providing assistance and coordinating humani5 tarian relief efforts; 

6 (4) to oppose the unlawful use of violence 

7 against civilians by all parties to the conflict in 

8 Syria; 

9 (5) to use a broad array of instruments of na10 tional power to expedite a negotiated solution to the 

11 conflict in Syria, including the departure of Bashar 

12 al-Assad; 

13 (6) to recognize the National Coalition for Syr14 ian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (in this 

15 Act referred to as the ‘‘Syrian Opposition Coalition’’ 

16 or ‘‘SOC’’) as a legitimate representative of the Syr17 ian people; 

18 (7) to engage with opposition groups that re19 flect United States interests and values, most nota20 bly the Syrian Opposition Coalition, any legitimate 

21 successor groups, including appropriate subgroups 

22 within the opposition that are representative of the 

23 Syrian people, as well as the broader international 

24 community, that are committed to facilitating an orVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:08 May 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S960.IS S960

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1 derly transition to a more stable democratic political 

2 order, including— 

3 (A) protecting human rights, expanding 

4 political participation, and providing religious 

5 freedom to all Syrians, irrespective of religion, 

6 ethnicity, or gender; 

7 (B) supporting the rule of law; 

8 (C) rejecting terrorism and extremist 

9 ideologies; 

10 (D) subordinating the military to civilian 

11 authority; 

12 (E) protecting the Syrian population 

13 against sectarian violence and reprisals; 

14 (F) cooperating with international counter15 terrorism and nonproliferation efforts; 

16 (G) supporting regional stability and avoid17 ing interference in the affairs of neighboring 

18 countries; and 

19 (H) establishing a strong justice system 

20 and ensuring accountability for conflict-related 

21 crimes; 

22 (8) to promote the territorial integrity of Syria 

23 and continuity of the Syrian state by supporting a 

24 post-Assad government that is capable of providing 


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1 security, services, and political and religious rights 

2 to its people; 

3 (9) to provide foreign assistance, defense arti4 cles, defense services, and training to specific mem5 bers of the Syrian Supreme Military Council, par6 ticular units of the Free Syrian Army, and other 

7 Syrian entities opposed to the government of Bashar 

8 al-Assad that have been properly and fully vetted 

9 and share common values and interests with the 

10 United States; 

11 (10) to closely coordinate with key partners on 

12 contingency planning, including Turkey, Jordan, 

13 Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Euro14 pean Union, to ensure that these partners are pre15 pared for an appropriate response to the evolving 

16 situation in Syria, including being ready and capable 

17 of securing of chemical or biological weapons or 

18 other proliferation emergencies, preventing the flow 

19 of fighters and weapons out of Syria into neigh20 boring countries, or taking other measures against 

21 the Government of Syria, including contingency 

22 planning for a no-fly zone; 

23 (11) to support efforts to identify and docu24 ment the activities of those individuals who target or 

25 lead units or organizations that target civilian popuVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:08 May 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S960.IS S960

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1 lations and vulnerable populations, including women 

2 and children, or have engaged in otherwise unlawful 

3 acts, and to ensure that they are held accountable 

4 for their actions; and 

5 (12) to ensure a stable and appropriate political 

6 transition in Syria and limit the threats posed by ex7 tremist groups, weapons proliferation, sectarian and 

8 ethnic violence, and refugee flows in the aftermath 

9 of the current conflict. 

10 SEC. 5. NO AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE OF MILITARY 

11 FORCE. 

12 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as providing 

13 authorization for the use of military force by the United 

14 States Armed Forces. 

15 TITLE I—UNITED STATES STRAT16 EGY AND CONGRESSIONAL 

17 OVERSIGHT 

18 SEC. 101. REPORT ON UNITED STATES STRATEGY ON SYRIA. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

21 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

22 an unclassified report, with an classified annex, as nec23 essary, on an integrated United States Government strat24 egy to achieve the purposes set forth in section 4. 


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1 (b) METRICS.—The strategy referenced in subsection 

2 (a) should include specific proposed actions to be taken 

3 by each relevant government agency, a timeframe for be4 ginning and completing such actions, and metrics for eval5 uating the success of each proposed action relative to the 

6 purpose of such action. 

7 (c) INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY.—The 

8 strategy referenced in subsection (a) should specifically in9 clude sections describing specific United States Govern10 ment programs and efforts— 

11 (1) to establish international consensus on the 

12 transition and post-transition period and government 

13 in Syria; 

14 (2) to work with the Government of Russia on 

15 the situation in Syria and the transition and post16 transition period and government in Syria, including 

17 how such programs can leverage the shared interests 

18 of the United States and Russia in avoiding the ex19 pansion of extremist ideologies and terrorist groups 

20 in Syria and the region; 

21 (3) to work with the Friends of Syria group to 

22 ensure that extremist and terrorist groups in Syria 

23 are isolated and that the core of the opposition can 

24 be brought to the negotiating table; and 


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1 (4) to build an international consensus to limit 

2 and, to the greatest extent possible eliminate, sup3 port from the Government of Iran for the Syrian re4 gime, including a potential ban on all commercial 

5 flights between Iran and Syria. 

6 (d) CONGRESSIONAL CONSULTATION.—The Presi7 dent shall actively consult with the appropriate congres8 sional committees prior to the submission of the report 

9 required under subsection (a). 

10 SEC. 102. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT OF UNITED STATES 

11 GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES IN SYRIA. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall keep Con13 gress, through the appropriate congressional committees, 

14 fully and currently informed of all United States Govern15 ment activities with respect to Syria, including activities 

16 and programs conducted or funded pursuant to this Act. 

17 (b) REPORTING.—The President shall provide a clas18 sified briefing not less than on a quarterly basis to the 

19 appropriate congressional committees detailing all United 

20 States Government activities with respect to Syria, includ21 ing activities and programs conducted or funded pursuant 

22 to this Act. 


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1 TITLE II—HUMANITARIAN 

2 ASSISTANCE 

3 SEC. 201. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF 

4 SYRIA. 

5 (a) AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding any other provi6 sion of law that restricts the provision of United States 

7 economic or other non-military assistance in Syria, the 

8 President is authorized to provide economic and other 

9 non-military assistance to meet humanitarian needs to the 

10 people of Syria, either directly or through appropriate 

11 groups and organizations pursuant to the provisions of the 

12 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) 

13 or the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 

14 2601 et seq.). 

15 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec16 tion shall be construed to authorize new or additional 

17 funding for humanitarian needs. 

18 SEC. 202. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

19 Consistent with the policy objectives described in sec20 tion 4, it is the sense of Congress that— 

21 (1) the United States should continue to coordi22 nate with other donor nations, the United Nations, 

23 other multilateral agencies, and nongovernmental or24 ganizations to enhance the effectiveness of humaniVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:08 May 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S960.IS S960

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1 tarian assistance to the people suffering as a result 

2 of the crisis in Syria; 

3 (2) countries hosting Syrian refugees should be 

4 commended for their efforts and should be encour5 aged to maintain an open border policy for fleeing 

6 Syrians; 

7 (3) the United States Government should con8 tinue to work with these partners to help their na9 tional systems accommodate the population influx 

10 and also maintain delivery of basic services to their 

11 own citizens; and 

12 (4) the United States Government should seek 

13 to identify humanitarian assistance as originating 

14 from the American people wherever possible and to 

15 the fullest extent practicable, while maintaining con16 sideration for the health and safety of the implemen17 ters and recipients of that assistance and the 

18 achievement of United States policy goals and the 

19 purposes set forth in section 4. 

20 SEC. 203. REPORT ON STRATEGY TO COMMUNICATE TO 

21 THE SYRIAN PEOPLE ABOUT ASSISTANCE 

22 PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERN23 MENT. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 


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1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

2 an unclassified report with a classified annex, as nec3 essary, on an integrated United States Government strat4 egy to ensure that the people of Syria people are made 

5 aware to the maximum extent possible of the assistance 

6 that the United States Government provides to Syrians 

7 both inside Syria and those seeking refuge in neighboring 

8 countries. 

9 (b) CONTENT.—The report should include the fol10 lowing elements: 

11 (1) A discussion of how the United States bal12 ances three imperatives of— 

13 (A) maximizing the efficacy of aid provided 

14 to the people of Syria; 

15 (B) ensuring that there is awareness 

16 among the people of Syria on the amount and 

17 nature of this aid; and 

18 (C) leveraging this aid to improve the 

19 credibility of the Syrian Opposition Coalition 

20 amongst the people of Syria. 

21 (2) Methods by which the United States Gov22 ernment and its partners plan to communicate to 

23 the people of Syria what assistance the United 

24 States has provided. 


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1 (3) A plan, with specific action, timelines, and 

2 evaluation metrics for promoting awareness of the 

3 United States Government’s assistance to the max4 imum extent possible while taking into consideration 

5 and ensuring the safety of its implementing partners 

6 and personnel providing that assistance and the 

7 achievement of the United States policy goals and 

8 the purposes set forth in section 4. 

9 (4) An assessment of the Syrian Opposition 

10 Coalition’s Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU)’s, or 

11 any appropriate successor entity’s, capacity to par12 ticipate in the distribution of assistance, and a de13 scription of steps the United States Government is 

14 taking to increase their profile so as to help build 

15 their credibility among Syrians. 

16 TITLE III—PROMOTING AN 

17 EFFECTIVE TRANSITION 

18 SEC. 301. SYRIA TRANSITION FUND. 

19 (a) SYRIA TRANSITION FUND.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 

21 Syria Transition Fund (in this title referred to as 

22 the ‘‘Transition Fund’’) from which funds may be 

23 made available, notwithstanding any other provision 

24 of law that restricts the provision of United States 

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1 sistance and contributions to promote security and 

2 support the objectives described in section 4. 

3 (2) OBLIGATION OF FUNDS; NOTIFICATION.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Transition Fund 

5 may rely upon the administrative authorities of 

6 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

7 2151 et seq.), and obligation of such funds may 

8 not occur until 15 days after the date on which 

9 the President has provided notice of intent to 

10 obligate to the appropriate congressional com11 mittees and the Committees on Appropriations 

12 of the Senate and the House of Representa13 tives. 

14 (B) WAIVER.—The notification required 

15 under subparagraph (A) may be waived if fail16 ure to do so would pose a substantial risk to 

17 human health or welfare, in which case notifica18 tion shall be provided as early as practicable, 

19 but in no event later than three days after tak20 ing the action to which such notification re21 quirement was applicable in the context of the 

22 circumstances necessitating such waiver. Any 

23 notification provided pursuant to such a waiver 

24 shall contain an explanation of the emergency 

25 circumstances. 


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1 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Transition Fund 

2 is to provide support in the early transition period to en3 able an effective political transition to a more democratic 

4 and inclusive political structure and provide for initiatives 

5 that will improve the security of the United States, United 

6 States partners and allies, and the people of Syria. The 

7 Transition Fund may be used to support programs in the 

8 following areas and in priority order: 

9 (1) SECURITY SECTOR SUPPORT.—Programs to 

10 train, equip, and professionalize law enforcement 

11 and military forces in Syria, including police and 

12 border protection forces, to protect the people of 

13 Syria. 

14 (2) SUPPORT FOR REGIONAL STABILITY.—Pro15 grams to support government agencies and law en16 forcement and military forces in Syria, as well as 

17 those in neighboring countries, to provide support to 

18 refugees from Syria, to stem the flow of weapons 

19 and fighters out of Syria into other nations, and to 

20 prevent the proliferation of chemical or other weap21 ons of mass destruction, including preventing such 

22 weapons from falling into the hands of al Qaeda, 

23 Hizballah, and other terrorist groups. 

24 (3) TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND CONFLICT

25 RESOLUTION.—Programs to reduce the likelihood of 


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1 retribution or sectarian violence in the aftermath of 

2 the end of the Assad regime and to promote the cre3 ation of a stable center, including improving rela4 tions between the moderate Sunni, Alawite, and 

5 Christian communities. 

6 (4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DE7 MOCRACY AND BUILDING DEMOCRATIC INSTITU8 TIONS.—Technical assistance, capacity building, and 

9 training programs that— 

10 (A) facilitate the development of an ac11 countable, effective, and representative demo12 cratic government; 

13 (B) protect the rule of law during the tran14 sition; 

15 (C) support the development and adminis16 tration of a modern justice system; 

17 (D) assist with the development of a Syr18 ian constitution that fosters a sense of unity 

19 and contributes to national reconciliation 

20 among different components of Syrian society; 

21 and 

22 (E) support the establishment of an inclu23 sive and transparent electoral system in Syria. 

24 (5) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ECO25 NOMIC REVITALIZATION.—Technical assistance, caVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:08 May 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S960.IS S960

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1 pacity building, and training programs that support 

2 the resumption of economic activity, restore access 

3 to international markets, promote international in4 vestment, provide for financial transparency and fis5 cal stability, and empower the private sector. 

6 (6) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR BASIC SERV7 ICES.—Technical assistance, capacity building, and 

8 training programs to provide basic civil government 

9 services to the people of Syria. 

10 (7) COLLECTION OF EVIDENCE ON UNLAWFUL

11 ACTIVITIES TARGETING CIVILIAN POPULATIONS.— 

12 Programs that support the collection of evidence re13 lated to the activities of those individuals who target 

14 or lead units or organizations that target civilian 

15 populations and vulnerable populations, including 

16 women and children, or have engaged in otherwise 

17 unlawful acts, and to ensure that they are held ac18 countable for their actions. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi20 tion to other assistance authorized under law, there is au21 thorized to be appropriated to the Transition Fund, out 

22 of amounts appropriated for the support of political and 

23 economic transition in the Middle East and North Africa, 

24 up to $250,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2013 through 

25 2015. 


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1 (d) USES OF FUNDS FOR NONPROLIFERATION.— 

2 Notwithstanding any other provision of law that restricts 

3 the provision of United States assistance in Syria, up to 

4 $100,000,000 of the funds authorized to be appropriated 

5 annually under subsection (c) may also be transferred to 

6 and merged with funds made available to carry out in 

7 Syria the purposes of chapter 9 of part II of the Foreign 

8 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2349bb et seq.; non9 proliferation and export control assistance). 

10 (e) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to other transfer 

12 authorities available to the Department of State, the 

13 Department of Defense, or other United States Gov14 ernment agencies or departments, funds available for 

15 foreign assistance or funds of the Department of 

16 Defense or other United States Government agencies 

17 or departments that are specifically allocated to18 wards addressing the situation in Syria may be 

19 transferred to the Transition Fund by the agencies 

20 or departments to which the funds are available, 

21 subject to existing reprogramming requirements and 

22 limitations, including congressional notification and 

23 approval requirements. Amounts so transferred shall 

24 be merged with funds otherwise made available 


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1 under this section and remain available until ex2 pended for the purposes specified in subsection (b). 

3 (2) LIMIT.—The total amount of funds made 

4 available to the Transition Fund may not exceed 

5 $250,000,000 in any fiscal year. 

6 (3) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.—Funds available to 

7 carry out assistance authorized by this section may 

8 be transferred to an agency or account determined 

9 most appropriate to facilitate the provision of assist10 ance authorized by this section. 

11 (4) ADDITIONAL TO OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

12 The transfer authorities in paragraphs (1) and (3) 

13 are in addition to any other transfer authority avail14 able to the Department of State or other United 

15 States Government agencies. 

16 (f) SUNSET PROVISION.—Unless specifically renewed, 

17 the Transition Fund shall terminate on September 30, 

18 2015. 

19 (g) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

21 after the establishment of the Transition Fund, and 

22 annually thereafter for the duration of the Transi23 tion Fund, the Secretary of State, in collaboration 

24 with the Secretary of Defense and other appropriate 

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1 sional committees a report on United States efforts 

2 to assist the political transition in Syria with a spe3 cific focus on the efforts supported by the Transition 

4 Fund. The Secretary shall also provide an update 

5 briefing to the appropriate congressional committees 

6 every 180 days. 

7 (2) CONTENT.—The report required under 

8 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 

9 (A) A description of the efforts undertaken 

10 and planned to be undertaken by the United 

11 States Government through the Transition 

12 Fund to support the policy objectives outlined 

13 in section 4. 

14 (B) A description of the efforts supported 

15 by the Transition Fund to support an effective 

16 and secure political transition in Syria and how 

17 those activities align with the purposes de18 scribed in subsection (b). 

19 (C) A specific accounting of all monies ob20 ligated through the Transition Fund by pro21 gram and project. 

22 (D) Metrics and benchmarks to make allo23 cations from the Transition Fund and measure 

24 the performance of the Transition Fund and 

25 programs funded by the Transition Fund. 


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1 (E) A description of efforts undertaken to 

2 coordinate with other donors and ensure that 

3 there is not a duplication of efforts, including 

4 among Federal agencies. 

5 (3) FORM.—The report under paragraph (1) 

6 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in7 clude a classified annex. 

8 SEC. 302. ADJUSTING SANCTIONS PROVISIONS IN PREPA9 RATION FOR A POLITICAL TRANSITION. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that the United States Government should begin a 

12 phased process to remove sanctions on Syria once the Gov13 ernment of Syria has ceased its campaign of violence 

14 against the people of Syria and a transition has begun 

15 to a representative and inclusive government that is de16 monstrably committed to the principles set forth in sub17 paragraphs (A) through (H) of section 4(7) and is recog18 nized by the United States. 

19 (b) AMENDMENTS TO SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY AND

20 LEBANESE SOVEREIGNTY RESTORATION ACT OF 2003.— 

21 Section 5 of the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sov22 ereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–175; 

23 22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (c)— 

25 (A) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ after ‘‘(1)’’; and 

2 (ii) by striking ‘‘paragraphs (1) 

3 through (4) of subsection (d)’’ and insert4 ing ‘‘subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 

5 paragraph (1) of subsection (d)’’; 

6 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

7 (3) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively; 

8 and 

9 (C) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated 

10 by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, by 

11 striking the comma at the end and inserting the 

12 following: ‘‘or; 

13 ‘‘(2) makes the determination that the Govern14 ment of Syria meets the requirements described in 

15 paragraph (2) of such subsection and certifies such 

16 determination to Congress in accordance with such 

17 subsection,’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ 

20 after ‘‘(1)’’; 

21 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), 

22 and (4) as subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D), re23 spectively; and 


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1 (C) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated 

2 by subparagraph (B), by striking the period at 

3 the end and inserting the following: ‘‘or; 

4 ‘‘(2)(A) Bashar al-Assad is no longer the leader 

5 of Syria; and 

6 ‘‘(B) the Government of Syria has ceased its 

7 campaign of violence against the people of Syria and 

8 begun the transition to a representative and inclu9 sive government that is demonstrably committed to 

10 the principles of— 

11 ‘‘(i) protecting human rights, expanding 

12 political participation, and providing religious 

13 freedom to all Syrians, irrespective of, religion, 

14 ethnicity, or gender; 

15 ‘‘(ii) supporting the rule of law; 

16 ‘‘(iii) rejecting terrorism and extremist 

17 ideologies; 

18 ‘‘(iv) subordinating the military to civilian 

19 authority; 

20 ‘‘(v) protecting the Syrian population 

21 against sectarian violence and reprisals; 

22 ‘‘(vi) cooperating with international 

23 counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) supporting regional stability and 

2 avoiding interference in the affairs of neigh3 boring countries; 

4 ‘‘(viii) establishing a strong justice system 

5 and ensuring accountability for conflict-related 

6 crimes; and 

7 ‘‘(ix) recognizing the Golan Heights ‘Sepa8 ration of Forces Agreement Between Israel And 

9 Syria,’ signed on May 31, 1974, and the related 

10 protocol regarding United Nations Disengage11 ment Observer Force (UNDOF) functions.’’. 

12 SEC. 303. REPORT ON SYRIAN WEAPONS STOCKPILES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit 

15 to Congress an assessment of the size and security of con16 ventional and non-conventional weapons stockpiles in 

17 Syria. 

18 (b) CONTENT.—The report required under subsection 

19 (a) shall include the following elements: 

20 (1) A description of who has or may have ac21 cess to the stockpiles. 

22 (2) A description of the sources and types of 

23 weapons flowing from outside Syria to both govern24 ment and opposition forces. 


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1 (3) A detailed plan to prevent the proliferation 

2 of conventional, biological, chemical, and other types 

3 of weapons in Syria. 

4 SEC. 304. PRE-TRANSITION INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS. 

5 The Secretary of State should establish international 

6 consensus on the transition and post-transition period and 

7 government in Syria by— 

8 (1) working with the government of Russia on 

9 the situation in Syria and the transition and post10 transition period and government in Syria, including 

11 how such programs can leverage the shared interests 

12 of the United States and Russia in avoiding the ex13 pansion of extremist ideologies and terrorist groups 

14 in Syria and the region; 

15 (2) working with the Friends of Syria group to 

16 ensure that extremist and terrorist groups in Syria 

17 are isolated and that the core of the opposition can 

18 be brought to the negotiating table; and 

19 (3) building an international consensus to limit 

20 and, to the greatest extent possible, eliminate sup21 port from the Government of Iran for the Syrian re22 gime, including a potential ban on all commercial 

23 flights between Iran and Syria. 


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1 TITLE IV—SANCTIONS 

2 SEC. 401. DEFINITIONS. 

3 In this title: 

4 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT5 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com6 mittees’’ means— 

7 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

8 the Committee on Finance, and the Committee 

9 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 

10 Senate; and 

11 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

12 Committee on Ways and Means, and the Com13 mittee on Financial Services of the House of 

14 Representatives. 

15 (2) DEFENSE ARTICLE; DEFENSE SERVICE.— 

16 The terms ‘‘defense article’’ and ‘‘defense service’’ 

17 have the meanings given those terms in section 47 

18 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794). 

19 (3) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in20 dividual or entity. 

21 (4) PETROLEUM.—The term ‘‘petroleum’’ in22 cludes crude oil and any mixture of hydrocarbons 

23 that exists in liquid phase in natural underground 

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1 sure after passing through surface separating facili2 ties. 

3 (5) PETROLEUM PRODUCTS.—The term ‘‘petro4 leum products’’ includes unfinished oils, liquefied pe5 troleum gases, pentanes plus, aviation gasoline, 

6 motor gasoline, naptha-type jet fuel, kerosene-type 

7 jet fuel, kerosene, distillate fuel oil, residual fuel oil, 

8 petrochemical feedstocks, special naphthas, lubri9 cants, waxes, petroleum coke, asphalt, road oil, still 

10 gas, and miscellaneous products obtained from the 

11 processing of crude oil (including lease condensate), 

12 natural gas, and other hydrocarbon compounds. 

13 (6) UNITED STATES PERSON.—The term 

14 ‘‘United States person’’ means— 

15 (A) a natural person who is a citizen or 

16 resident of the United States or a national of 

17 the United States (as defined in section 101(a) 

18 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

19 U.S.C. 1101(a))); and 

20 (B) an entity that is organized under the 

21 laws of the United States or a jurisdiction with22 in the United States. 


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1 SEC. 402. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

2 SELLING, TRANSFERRING, OR TRANS3 PORTING DEFENSE ARTICLES, DEFENSE 

4 SERVICES, OR MILITARY TRAINING TO THE 

5 ASSAD REGIME OF SYRIA. 

6 On or after the date that is 30 days after the date 

7 of the enactment of this Act, the President may impose 

8 sanctions from among the sanctions described in section 

9 404 with respect to any person that the President deter10 mines has, on or after such date of enactment, knowingly 

11 participated in or facilitated a significant transaction re12 lated to the sale, transfer, or transportation of defense ar13 ticles, defense services, or military training to the Assad 

14 regime of Syria or any successor regime in Syria that the 

15 President determines is not a legitimate transitional or re16 placement government. 

17 SEC. 403. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

18 PERSONS PROVIDING PETROLEUM OR PE19 TROLEUM PRODUCTS TO THE ASSAD REGIME 

20 OF SYRIA. 

21 On or after the date that is 30 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the President shall impose 

23 the sanction described in paragraph (5) of section 404 and 

24 2 or more of the other sanctions described in that section 

25 with respect to each person that the President determines 

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1 pated in or facilitated a significant transaction related to 

2 the sale or transfer of petroleum or petroleum products 

3 to the Assad regime of Syria or any successor regime in 

4 Syria that the President determines is not a legitimate 

5 transitional or replacement government. 

6 SEC. 404. SANCTIONS DESCRIBED. 

7 The sanctions the President may impose with respect 

8 to a person under sections 402 and 403 are the following: 

9 (1) EXPORT-IMPORT BANK ASSISTANCE.—The 

10 President may direct the Export-Import Bank of the 

11 United States not to give approval to the issuance 

12 of any guarantee, insurance, extension of credit, or 

13 participation in the extension of credit in connection 

14 with the export of any goods or services to the per15 son. 

16 (2) PROCUREMENT SANCTION.—The President 

17 may prohibit the United States Government from 

18 procuring, or entering into any contract for the pro19 curement of, any goods or services from the person. 

20 (3) ARMS EXPORT PROHIBITION.—The Presi21 dent may prohibit United States Government sales 

22 to the person of any item on the United States Mu23 nitions List under section 38(a)(1) of the Arms Ex24 port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778(a)(1)) and require 

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1 ticles, defense services, or design and construction 

2 services under that Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

3 (4) DUAL-USE EXPORT PROHIBITION.—The 

4 President may deny licenses and suspend existing li5 censes for the transfer to the person of items the ex6 port of which is controlled under the Export Admin7 istration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2401 et seq.) 

8 (as in effect pursuant to the International Emer9 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

10 seq.)) or the Export Administration Regulations 

11 under subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code 

12 of Federal Regulations. 

13 (5) BLOCKING OF ASSETS.—The President 

14 may, pursuant to such regulations as the President 

15 may prescribe, block and prohibit all transactions in 

16 all property and interests in property of the person 

17 if such property and interests in property are in the 

18 United States, come within the United States, or are 

19 or come within the possession or control of a United 

20 States person. 

21 (6) VISA INELIGIBILITY.—In the case of a per22 son that is an alien, the President may direct the 

23 Secretary of State to deny a visa to, and the Sec24 retary of Homeland Security to exclude from the 

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1 ceptions to permit the United States to comply with 

2 the Agreement between the United Nations and the 

3 United States of America regarding the Head4 quarters of the United Nations and other applicable 

5 international obligations. 

6 SEC. 405. WAIVERS. 

7 (a) GENERAL WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The President 

8 may waive the application of section 402 or 403 to a per9 son or category of persons for a period of 180 days, and 

10 may renew the waiver for additional periods of not more 

11 than 180 days, if the President determines and reports 

12 to the appropriate congressional committees every 180 

13 days that the waiver is in the vital national security inter14 ests of the United States. 

15 (b) WAIVER FOR HUMANITARIAN NEEDS.—The 

16 President may waive the application of section 403 to a 

17 person for a period of not more than 180 days, and may 

18 renew the waiver for additional periods of not more than 

19 180 days, if the President determines and reports to the 

20 appropriate congressional committees every 180 days that 

21 the waiver is to necessary to permit the person to conduct 

22 or facilitate a transaction that is necessary to meet hu23 manitarian needs of the people of Syria. 


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1 (c) FORM.—Each report submitted under subsection 

2 (a) or (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 

3 include a classified annex. 

4 SEC. 406. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SANCTIONS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that the President should 

6 work closely with allies of the United States to obtain 

7 broad multilateral support for countries to impose sanc8 tions that are equivalent to the sanctions set forth in this 

9 title under the laws of those countries. 

10 TITLE V—INCREASED SUPPORT 

11 FOR THE OPPOSITION 

12 SEC. 501. LETHAL AND INCREASED NON-LETHAL SUPPORT 

13 FOR THE VETTED OPPOSITION. 

14 (a) AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE LETHAL AND IN15 CREASED NON-LETHAL ASSISTANCE TO VETTED ELE16 MENTS OF THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION.—Subject to sub17 section (b), the President is authorized, notwithstanding 

18 any other provision of law that restricts military, non-mili19 tary, or economic assistance to Syria, to provide defense 

20 articles, defense services, and military training to specific 

21 members of the Syrian Supreme Military Council, par22 ticular units of the Free Syrian Army, and other Syrian 

23 entities opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad, 

24 with funds made available for foreign assistance. 


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1 (b) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 15 days before 

2 obligating funds, otherwise providing any assistance, or 

3 otherwise making any commitment to provide the assist4 ance described in subsection (a), the President shall sub5 mit to the appropriate congressional committees— 

6 (1) a certification that— 

7 (A) assistance to any individual, unit, or 

8 entities will be provided consistent with section 

9 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

10 (22 U.S.C. 2378d); 

11 (B) the individual to whom assistance is 

12 being provided or is planned to be provided, or 

13 leader or leaders of any unit or entity, including 

14 all senior members of such unit or entity, to 

15 which assistance is being provided or is planned 

16 to be provided, are, based on the information 

17 available to the United States Government— 

18 (i) not an organization or person that 

19 has been designated, or is affiliated with 

20 any organization or person that has been 

21 designated, as a foreign terrorist organiza22 tion pursuant to section 219 of the Immi23 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

24 1189) or a ‘‘Specially Designated Global 


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1 Terrorist’’ pursuant to Executive Order 

2 13224 (66 Fed. Reg. 49079); 

3 (ii) committed to rejecting terrorism 

4 and extremist ideologies; 

5 (iii) opposed to the carrying out of 

6 sectarian violence and revenge killings; 

7 (iv) committed to civilian rule, includ8 ing subordinating the military to civilian 

9 authority, and the rule of law for Syria; 

10 (v) committed to cooperating with 

11 international counterterrorism and non12 proliferation efforts; and 

13 (vi) supporting regional stability and 

14 avoiding interference in the affairs of 

15 neighboring countries; 

16 (C) any military education and training 

17 should include information and training on ap18 propriate leadership and command skills, pro19 tection of critical infrastructure, observance of 

20 and respect for applicable laws of armed con21 flict, respect for the rule of law, and the impor22 tance of civilian control of the military, and, 

23 when appropriate, on securing chemical weap24 ons sites and other important sites; and 


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1 (D) assistance provided under this section 

2 to any specific individual or entity shall imme3 diately be terminated if the United States Gov4 ernment receives information that indicates that 

5 the individual or entity is not in compliance 

6 with the terms laid out in subparagraph (B); 

7 and 

8 (2) a written policy justification, budget, execu9 tion plan and timeline, and anticipated completion 

10 date for the planned activity. 

11 (c) RESTRICTION ON ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENSIVE

12 SYSTEMS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under 

14 paragraph (2), no anti-aircraft defensive systems 

15 may be transferred as part of the assistance author16 ized under this section. 

17 (2) WAIVER.—The President may waive the re18 striction under paragraph (1) if— 

19 (A) it is in the vital national security inter20 est to do so; 

21 (B) the President notifies Congress not 

22 later than 15 days before exercising such waiv23 er; 

24 (C) not later than 15 days before exer25 cising such waiver, the President transmits to 


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1 the appropriate congressional committees a re2 port described in subsection (e), together with 

3 the certification required under subsection 

4 (b)(1) specifically with respect to anti-aircraft 

5 defensive systems; 

6 (D) the President certifies that— 

7 (i) the systems provided have been 

8 equipped with appropriate tracking, dis9 abling, or anti-tamper devices; or 

10 (ii) effective end use monitoring, in11 cluding appropriate disposition of systems, 

12 is in place; and 

13 (E) the President certifies that the United 

14 States has consulted with regional allies regard15 ing the systems provided. 

16 (d) CODE OF CONDUCT.—The United States Govern17 ment shall encourage any entity receiving assistance pur18 suant to subsection (a) to commit to a code of conduct 

19 that includes respect for applicable laws of armed conflict, 

20 respect for the rule of law, and a commitment to refrain 

21 from sectarian violence and revenge killings. 

22 (e) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—In the event that 

23 the President exercises the authority in subsection (a), the 

24 President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

25 committees every 90 days thereafter until such time as 


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1 the authority is no longer being exercised, a detailed re2 port on— 

3 (1) the education, training or assistance pro4 vided; 

5 (2) the vetting conducted to satisfy the certifi6 cation requirement in subsection (b)(1); 

7 (3) steps taken to encourage the development of 

8 a code of conduct outlined in subsection (c); 

9 (4) an assessment of the current military capac10 ity of opposition forces receiving assistance; 

11 (5) an assessment of the ability of opposition 

12 forces inside and outside of Syrian to establish mili13 tary activities impacting Syria, together with a prac14 ticable timetable for accomplishing these objectives; 

15 (6) an assessment of the ability of opposition 

16 groups to establish effective military control over 

17 Syria; and 

18 (7) a description of the financial and materiel 

19 resources currently available to opposition forces. 

20 (f) SUNSET PROVISION.—Unless specifically renewed, 

21 the authority described in subsection (a) shall terminate 

22 on September 30, 2015. 

Æ 


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