II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3498 

To provide humanitarian assistance and support a democratic transition in 

Syria, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2012 

Mr. CASEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To provide humanitarian assistance and support a democratic 

transition 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Syria Humanitarian 

5 Support and Democratic Transition Assistance Act of 

6 2012’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress makes the following findings: 

9 (1) In March 2011, peaceful demonstrations in 

10 Syria began against the authoritarian rule of Bashar 


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1 al-Assad. The regime responded with terrible vio2 lence against the citizens of Syria, including the use 

3 of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial killings, ar4 bitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference 

5 with access to medical treatment. 

6 (2) In December 2011, the Government of 

7 Syria agreed to allow an Arab League observer 

8 group into the country to assess the humanitarian 

9 and political situation on the ground. However, on 

10 January 28, 2012, the League officially ended its 

11 observer mission, citing escalating violence and the 

12 intransigence of the Assad regime. 

13 (3) In February 2012, the group Friends of the 

14 Syrian People met in Tunis and issued a declaration 

15 demanding, among other things, that the Syrian re16 gime ‘‘allow free and unimpeded access by the UN 

17 and humanitarian agencies to carry out a full assess18 ment of needs’’. 

19 (4) On March 16, 2012, United Nations and 

20 League of Arab States Special Envoy Kofi Annan 

21 presented a six-point peace plan for Syria that called 

22 on the Government of Syria to, among other 

23 things— 


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1 (A) commit to stop the fighting and ur2 gently achieve a United Nations-supervised ces3 sation of violence; 

4 (B) cease military activity in and around 

5 civilian population centers; 

6 (C) work with the Envoy in an inclusive 

7 Syrian-led political process; 

8 (D) ensure timely provision of humani9 tarian assistance; 

10 (E) release arbitrarily detained persons; 

11 (F) ensure freedom of movement for jour12 nalists; and 

13 (G) respect the freedom of association and 

14 the right to demonstrate peacefully. 

15 (5) In March 2012, the United Nations Refugee 

16 Agency (UNHCR) appealed for $84,100,000 to as17 sist approximately 30,000 Syrian refugees living out18 side the country. Panos Moumtzis was appointed Re19 gional Refugee Coordinator for Syria by UNHCR, 

20 indicating the importance of responding to the grow21 ing needs of Syrian refugees. 

22 (6) In April 2012, the group Friends of the 

23 Syrian People met in Istanbul and committed to in24 crease pressure on the Assad regime, provide greater 

25 humanitarian relief to people in need, and support 


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1 the Syrian opposition as it works toward an inclusive 

2 democratic transition. 

3 (7) As of July 2012, the London-based Syrian 

4 Observatory for Human Rights estimated that more 

5 than 20,000 people have been killed as a result of 

6 the violence in Syria, while the United Nations has 

7 reportedly stopped keeping track of casualty num8 bers due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate infor9 mation from inside Syria. 

10 (8) As a result of the violence, the United Na11 tions estimates that 1,500,000 people are in need of 

12 humanitarian assistance, including access to food, 

13 water, shelter, and medical care. Basic services such 

14 as health care, education, and electricity have also 

15 been cut off in some parts of the country. 

16 (9) Syria faces growing food insecurity, as 

17 wheat harvests have declined due to drought. The 

18 United Nations expects aid agencies to provide food 

19 aid to 850,000 Syrians in July 2012, up from 

20 500,000 the previous month. 

21 (10) Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have 

22 fled the country due to escalating violence. Accord23 ing to the United Nations, there are more than 

24 100,000 Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon, Tur25 key, Jordan, and Iraq, and even more who are unVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:38 Aug 10, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3498.IS S3498

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1 registered. According to the Syrian Arab Red Cres2 cent, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are displaced 

3 within the country. More than three-quarters of ref4 ugees and internally displaced persons are women 

5 and children, who are particularly vulnerable to eco6 nomic and physical insecurity. 

7 (11) In June 2012, UNHCR more than dou8 bled its appeal for assistance for Syrian refugees to 

9 $193,000,000, reflecting the significant increase in 

10 the number of refugees in need of assistance. 

11 (12) The United Nations requested an addi12 tional $189,000,000 to meet humanitarian needs in13 side Syria. According to a United Nations spokes14 person, only about 20 percent of these appeals have 

15 been funded. In July 2012, John Ging, Director of 

16 Operations for the United Nations Office for the Co17 ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said, ‘‘If we 

18 don’t get more money, people will die.’’ 

19 (13) The United Nations Children’s Fund 

20 (UNICEF) issued an urgent appeal for $20,000,000 

21 to meet the emergency needs of children and young 

22 people who have fled the violence in Syria. UNICEF 

23 estimates that it will need to provide humanitarian 

24 support and basic services to approximately 90,000 

25 Syrian children between July and December 2012. 


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1 As of July 2012, UNICEF has received less than 

2 $6,000,000 to provide support and protection to the 

3 most vulnerable victims of the crisis in Syria. 

4 (14) An agreement between the United Nations 

5 and the Syrian regime to facilitate the delivery of 

6 humanitarian assistance in the country has allowed 

7 aid workers greater access to victims of the conflict. 

8 However, staff of the International Committee of the 

9 Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent cite 

10 security concerns as a major obstacle to aid distribu11 tion. The Government of Syria is also refusing to 

12 grant visas for aid workers from countries that have 

13 criticized the regime, including the United States, 

14 Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. 

15 (15) In July 2012, Human Rights Watch re16 ported widespread torture and mistreatment of polit17 ical prisoners being held in detention facilities man18 aged by intelligence agencies of the Government of 

19 Syria. The report cites overcrowding, denial of ade20 quate food and medical assistance, and the routine 

21 use of a wide range of torture methods. The report 

22 also raised concerns that authorities in Syria could 

23 choose to kill detainees rather than allow them to be 

24 released in the event of a political transition. 


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1 (16) As of July 2012, the United States Gov2 ernment has pledged $52,000,000 in humanitarian 

3 and non-lethal assistance to Syria. 

4 (17) According to the Unclassified Report to 

5 Congress on the Acquisition of Technology Relating 

6 to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced Con7 ventional Munitions Covering 1 January to 31 De8 cember 2011, ‘‘Syria has had a [chemical weapons] 

9 program for many years and has a stockpile of CW 

10 agents, which can be delivered by aerial bombs, bal11 listic missiles, and artillery rockets.’’ In a hearing 

12 before the Committee on Armed Services of the Sen13 ate in March 2012, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 

14 Staff General Martin Dempsey testified that the 

15 magnitude of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal was 

16 ‘‘100 times more than we experienced in Libya’’. 

17 The Government of Syria’s stockpiles are thought to 

18 include mustard, sarin, and VX gases. 

19 (18) There are concerns about the existence of 

20 numerous rebel militias and their role in Syria dur21 ing a post-transition period. On June 30, 2012, dur22 ing an international meeting on Syria in Geneva, 

23 Special Envoy Kofi Annan said, ‘‘A transition must 

24 be implemented in a climate of safety for all, sta25 bility and calm, including completion of withdrawals 


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1 and the disarming, demobilization and reintegration 

2 of armed groups.’’ 

3 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 It is the policy of the United States— 

5 (1) to strongly condemn the ongoing violence 

6 and widespread human rights violations perpetrated 

7 against the Syrian people by the regime of President 

8 Bashar al-Assad; 

9 (2) to promote the protection of civilians and 

10 innocent victims of the conflict in Syria, particularly 

11 women and children who are displaced and vulner12 able to physical exploitation; 

13 (3) to assist the people of Syria in meeting 

14 basic needs, including access to food, health care, 

15 shelter, and clean drinking water; 

16 (4) to support efforts of democratically oriented 

17 political opposition groups in Syria to agree upon a 

18 political transition plan that is inclusive and reflects 

19 the democratic aspirations of all minority ethnic 

20 groups in the country; 

21 (5) to work with the international community, 

22 including multilateral organizations and host coun23 tries, to support Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, 

24 Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq; 


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1 (6) to support efforts to identify, recover, and 

2 dispose of chemical weapons and other conventional 

3 and unconventional weapons stockpiled in Syria; and 

4 (7) to help ensure that, once a stable transi5 tional government is established in Syria, it is com6 mitted to multiparty democracy, open and trans7 parent governance, respect for human rights and re8 ligious freedom, promoting peace and stability with 

9 its neighbors, enhancing the rule of law, and reha10 bilitating and reintegrating former combatants. 

11 SEC. 4. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA. 

12 (a) APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL ENVOY.—Not later 

13 than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

14 the President shall appoint a Special Envoy for Syria to 

15 coordinate United States engagement with the country 

16 and to ensure that the United States Government sup17 ports efforts to bring about a democratic transition in 

18 Syria. 

19 (b) DUTIES.—The Special Envoy for Syria should be 

20 given a clear mandate— 

21 (1) to direct United States Government efforts 

22 to provide assistance to civilians and innocent vic23 tims of the conflict in Syria; 

24 (2) to provide detailed assessments of chal25 lenges and progress on the ground in Syria with reVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:38 Aug 10, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3498.IS S3498

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1 gard to providing humanitarian relief, supporting an 

2 inclusive political transition, assisting internally dis3 placed persons and refugees, reintegrating former 

4 combatants, and securing conventional and uncon5 ventional weapons; and 

6 (3) to pursue a peaceful, inclusive democratic 

7 future for Syria that protects the rights of all ethnic 

8 and religious minorities. 

9 (c) STAFFING AND RESOURCES.—The Special Envoy 

10 for Syria should be provided with appropriate resources, 

11 including adequate staffing in the region and in Wash12 ington, District of Columbia. 

13 SEC. 5. BILATERAL ASSISTANCE TO SYRIA. 

14 (a) AUTHORITY.—The President should— 

15 (1) provide enhanced support for humanitarian 

16 activities taking place in and outside Syria, including 

17 the provision of food, water, and medical supplies; 

18 (2) support efforts for a peaceful resolution of 

19 the conflict in Syria as well as the establishment of 

20 an inclusive representative form of government in 

21 Syria; 

22 (3) continue to encourage the participation of 

23 all groups, including women, business leaders, civil 

24 society organizations, traditional and religious lead25 ers, and minority groups in efforts for a peaceful 


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1 resolution of the conflict and political transition in 

2 Syria; 

3 (4) encourage the Arab League and other inter4 national bodies to insist that transitional and future 

5 governments are committed to multiparty democ6 racy, open and transparent governance, respect for 

7 human rights and religious freedom, ending the vio8 lence throughout the country, promoting peace and 

9 stability with Syria’s neighbors, enhancing the rule 

10 of law and combating corruption, and rehabilitating 

11 and reintegrating former combatants; 

12 (5) contribute to future capacity building for 

13 governing institutions after a political transition 

14 takes place in Syria; and 

15 (6) support post-transition efforts, including 

16 programs for demobilizing and reintegrating former 

17 combatants. 

18 (b) FUNDING.— 

19 (1) FISCAL YEARS 2013 AND 2014.—Of the 

20 amounts made available to carry out the Foreign As21 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for 

22 fiscal years 2013 and 2014, such sums as may be 

23 necessary should be allocated for bilateral assistance 

24 programs in Syria. 


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1 (2) FUTURE FUNDING.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that the Department of State should submit a 

3 budget request for fiscal year 2014 that contains an 

4 appropriate increase in bilateral and multilateral as5 sistance for Syria based on progress by the Govern6 ment of Syria toward accomplishing the policy objec7 tives described in section 3. 

8 (3) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pur9 suant to the authorization of appropriations under 

10 paragraphs (1) and (2)— 

11 (A) are authorized to remain available 

12 until expended; and 

13 (B) are in addition to funds otherwise 

14 available for such purposes. 

15 (c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER DONOR NA16 TIONS.—The United States should work with other donor 

17 nations, on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to increase 

18 international contributions to the people of Syria and ac19 complish the policy objectives described in section 3. 

20 SEC. 6. INCREASING CONTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER HUMANI21 TARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE 

22 THROUGH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

23 The President should instruct the United States per24 manent representative or executive director, as the case 

25 may be, to the United Nations voluntary agencies, includVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:38 Aug 10, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3498.IS S3498

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1 ing the World Food Program, the United Nations Devel2 opment Program, and the United Nations High Commis3 sioner for Refugees, and other appropriate international 

4 organizations to use the voice and vote of the United 

5 States to support additional humanitarian and develop6 ment assistance for the people of Syria in order to accom7 plish the policy objectives described in section 3. 

8 SEC. 7. INCREASING BILATERAL ASSISTANCE TO COUN9 TRIES THAT HOST SYRIAN REFUGEES. 

10 (a) AUTHORITY.—The President should increase bi11 lateral funding to countries, including Iraq, Jordan, Tur12 key, and Lebanon, that have experienced an influx of refu13 gees from Syria. 

14 (b) FUNDING FOR FISCAL YEARS 2013 AND 2014.— 

15 Of the amounts made available to carry out the Foreign 

16 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for fiscal 

17 years 2013 and 2014, such sums as may be necessary 

18 should be allocated for bilateral refugee assistance pro19 grams in the countries surrounding Syria. 

20 SEC. 8. COORDINATION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE 

21 FOR SYRIA. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

23 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

24 instruct the Secretary of State to work with the appro25 priate United Nations agencies, regional organizations, 


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1 nongovernmental organizations, and the broader inter2 national community to establish an international donors 

3 group to maximize resources and efficiently provide hu4 manitarian assistance to the people of Syria. 

5 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the donors group 

6 shall be to coordinate resources for the following activities 

7 in Syria and the region: 

8 (1) Providing humanitarian relief to civilians 

9 impacted by the violence in Syria and Syrian refu10 gees in surrounding countries. 

11 (2) Supporting inclusive post-transitional gov12 ernance and the establishment of the rule of law. 

13 (3) Supporting disarmament, demobilization, 

14 and reintegration of combatants and members of mi15 litias. 

16 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Department of State 

17 shall submit a report on the specific programs, projects, 

18 and activities carried out by the donors group during the 

19 preceding year, including an evaluation of the results of 

20 such programs, projects, and activities. 

21 SEC. 9. SECURING UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA. 

22 (a) TRANSITION PLAN.—The United States should 

23 work with regional partners to develop a plan, to be imple24 mented in the event of a political transition, to— 


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1 (1) identify and secure conventional and uncon2 ventional weapons stockpiles in Syria; 

3 (2) recover and dispose of all unconventional 

4 weapons stockpiled in Syria, with particular atten5 tion to chemical weapons; and 

6 (3) prevent the illicit sale or transfer of conven7 tional and unconventional weapons out of Syria in 

8 order to preclude regional weapons proliferation. 

9 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that the Department of State should submit a budg11 et request for fiscal year 2014 that contains an increase 

12 in bilateral nonproliferation, demining, and anti-terrorism 

13 assistance for Syria toward accomplishing the policy objec14 tives described in this section. 

15 SEC. 10. REPORT ON HUMANITARIAN AND STABILIZATION 

16 EFFORTS IN SYRIA. 

17 Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact18 ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President 

19 shall submit to Congress a detailed report on the imple20 mentation of this Act, including a description of— 

21 (1) progress made as a result of humanitarian 

22 and stabilization efforts, including refugee assistance 

23 in Syria; 


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1 (2) progress made toward establishing an inclu2 sive, democratic government that protects the rights 

3 of all Syrians; and 

4 (3) key challenges, gaps, and obstacles to fur5 ther enhancing stability and peace in Syria, includ6 ing between Syria and its neighbors. 

Æ 


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