III 

Calendar No. 388 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 435 

Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 25, 2012 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

MAY 7, 2012 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for other 

purposes. 

Whereas the Republic of Syria is a party to the International 

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted 

at New York December 16, 1966, and the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at 

New York December 10, 1984, and voted in favor of the 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted at 

Paris December 10, 1948; 


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•SRES 435 RS 

Whereas, since March 2011, the Government of Syria has engaged in a sustained campaign of violence and gross 

human rights violations against civilians in Syria, including the use of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial 

killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference with access to medical treatment; 

Whereas the United Nations estimated that, as of April 16, 

2012, at least 10,000 people had been killed in Syria 

since the violence began in March 2011; 

Whereas, on August, 18, 2011, President Barack Obama 

called upon President Bashar al Assad to step aside; 

Whereas, in November 2011 and February 2012, the United 

Nations Commission of Inquiry released reports documenting gross human rights violations committed in 

Syria; 

Whereas the League of Arab States deployed a team of international monitors to Syria on December 26, 2011; 

Whereas, on January 28, 2012, the League of Arab States 

suspended its monitoring mission in Syria in response to 

an escalation in violence; 

Whereas, on March 16, 2012, United Nations and League of 

Arab States Special Envoy Kofi Annan presented a sixpoint peace plan for Syria that called on the Government 

of Syria to, among other things: commit to stop the fighting and urgently achieve a United Nations-supervised 

cessation of violence; work with the Envoy in an inclusive 

Syrian-led political process; cease military activity in and 

around civilian population centers; ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance; release arbitrarily detained persons; ensure freedom of movement for journalVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:45 May 07, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR435.RS SR435

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•SRES 435 RS 

ists; and respect the freedom of association and the right 

to demonstrate peacefully; 

Whereas, on March 21, 2012, the United Nations Security 

Council unanimously adopted a Presidential Statement 

giving full support to the efforts of Joint Special Envoy 

Annan and calling on the Government of Syria and the 

opposition in Syria to work in good faith to fully and immediately implement Mr. Annan’s six point proposal; 

Whereas, on April 1, 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian 

People met in Istanbul and announced measures to increase the pressure on the Assad regime, provide greater 

humanitarian relief to people in need, and support the 

Syrian opposition as it works toward an inclusive democratic transition. 

Whereas, as of April 1, 2012, the United States Government 

had pledged $25,000,000 in humanitarian assistance, as 

well as non-lethal communications equipment, to activists 

inside Syria; 

Whereas, on April 5, 2012, the United Nations Security 

Council adopted a Presidential Statement calling on the 

Government of Syria to implement urgently and visibly 

its commitments to Mr. Annan, including ceasing armed 

violence within 48 hours; 

Whereas, on April 14, 2012, the United Nations Security 

Council adopted Resolution 2042, which authorized the 

deployment of an advance team of United Nations military observers to monitor adherence to a ceasefire in the 

country; 

Whereas the Governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and 

Iraq have provided refuge for tens of thousands of people 

displaced by the violence in Syria; and 


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•SRES 435 RS 

Whereas the Governments of the Russian Federation and the 

Islamic Republic of Iran continue to supply military 

equipment to the Government of Syria notwithstanding 

that government’s violent repression of demonstrators: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas the Republic of Syria is a party to the International 

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), adopted 

at New York December 16, 1966, and the United Nations 

Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or 

Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York 

December 10, 1984, and voted in favor of the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights, adopted at Paris December 

10, 1948; 

Whereas, since March 2011, the Government of Syria has engaged in a sustained campaign of violence and gross 

human rights violations against civilians in Syria, including the use of weapons of war, torture, extrajudicial 

killings, arbitrary executions, sexual violence, and interference with access to medical treatment; 

Whereas nongovernmental organizations and opposition groups 

estimate that, as of April 16, 2012, at least 10,000 people 

had been killed in Syria since the violence began in March 

2011; 

Whereas, on August, 18, 2011, President Barack Obama called 

upon President Bashar al Assad to step aside; 

Whereas, in November 2011 and February 2012, the United 

Nations Commission of Inquiry released reports documenting gross human rights violations committed in 

Syria; 

Whereas the League of Arab States deployed a team of international monitors to Syria on December 26, 2011; 


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•SRES 435 RS 

Whereas, on January 28, 2012, the League of Arab States suspended its monitoring mission in Syria in response to an 

escalation in violence; 

Whereas, on March 16, 2012, United Nations and League of 

Arab States Special Envoy Kofi Annan presented a sixpoint peace plan for Syria that called on the Government 

of Syria to, among other things: commit to stop the fighting and urgently achieve a United Nations-supervised cessation of violence; work with the Envoy in an inclusive 

Syrian-led political process; cease military activity in and 

around civilian population centers; ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance; release arbitrarily detained persons; ensure freedom of movement for journalists; 

and respect the freedom of association and the right to 

demonstrate peacefully; 

Whereas, on March 21, 2012, the United Nations Security 

Council unanimously adopted a Presidential Statement 

giving full support to the efforts of Joint Special Envoy 

Annan and calling on the Government of Syria and the 

opposition in Syria to work in good faith to fully and immediately implement Mr. Annan’s six point proposal; 

Whereas, on April 1, 2012, the group Friends of the Syrian 

People met in Istanbul and announced measures to increase the pressure on the Assad regime, provide greater 

humanitarian relief to people in need, and support the 

Syrian opposition as it works toward an inclusive democratic transition. 

Whereas, as of April 20, 2012, the United States Government 

had pledged $33,000,000 in humanitarian assistance, as 

well as non-lethal communications equipment, to activists 

inside Syria; 


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•SRES 435 RS 

Whereas, on April 5, 2012, the United Nations Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement calling on the Government of Syria to implement urgently and visibly its 

commitments to Mr. Annan, including ceasing armed violence within 48 hours; 

Whereas, on April 14, 2012, the United Nations Security 

Council adopted Resolution 2042, which authorized the deployment of an advance team of United Nations military 

observers to monitor adherence to a ceasefire in the country; 

Whereas the Governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and 

Iraq have provided refuge for tens of thousands of people 

displaced by the violence in Syria; and 

Whereas the Governments of the Russian Federation and the 

Islamic Republic of Iran continue to supply military 

equipment to the Government of Syria notwithstanding 

that government’s violent repression of demonstrators: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns Syrian President Bashar al3 Assad’s ongoing slaughter of his own people; 

4 (2) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United 

5 States that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian 

6 people cannot be realized so long as Bashar al-Assad 

7 remains in power and that he must step aside; 

8 (3) recognizes the efforts of the United Nations 

9 and the League of Arab States to establish a 

10 ceasefire in Syria and to deploy international per11 sonnel to observe adherence by the Government of 


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•SRES 435 RS 

1 Syria to Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace 

2 plan to bring an end to violence and human rights 

3 violations and as a first step toward a full demo4 cratic transition in Syria; 

5 (4) urges robust support for the United Na6 tions-administered Emergency Response Fund to en7 sure the sustained provision of humanitarian and 

8 emergency medical support for the population of 

9 Syria affected by the conflict; 

10 (5) urges the continued provision of adequate 

11 humanitarian assistance to displaced Syrians cur12 rently located in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and 

13 Iraq; 

14 (6) calls on the President to engage with the 

15 League of Arab States, the European Union, and 

16 the Government of the Republic of Turkey to explore 

17 options to protect civilians in Syria; 

18 (7) demands that the Government of Syria 

19 allow additional United Nations personnel into the 

20 country, with complete freedom of movement, and 

21 take necessary measures to ensure their safety in 

22 Syria so that they may observe the ceasefire and the 

23 adherence by the Government of Syria to the United 

24 Nation six-point peace plan; 


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•SRES 435 RS 

1 (8) urges the Syrian opposition to renew its 

2 commitment to a democratic and inclusive society in 

3 the post-Assad era based on the rule of law, commit4 ment to universal human rights for all of its people, 

5 and protections for religious and ethnic minorities; 

6 (9) calls upon the League of Arab States, the 

7 United Nations, the Friends of the Syrian People, 

8 and other interested international bodies to continue 

9 to exert maximum diplomatic pressure for Assad to 

10 step aside and for a political transition in Syria; 

11 (10) urges the Friends of the Syrian People to 

12 renew efforts to incentivize the enhanced cohesion of 

13 democratically oriented organizations in Syria, and 

14 to encourage these groups to make clear their inten15 tion to represent and protect the interests of all Syr16 ians; 

17 (11) calls upon the President to continue to 

18 provide support, including communications equip19 ment to organizations in Syria that are representa20 tive of the people of Syria, make demonstrable ef21 forts to protect human rights and religious freedom, 

22 reject terrorism, cooperate with international 

23 counterterrorism and nonproliferation efforts, and 

24 abstain from destabilizing neighboring countries; 


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•SRES 435 RS 

1 (12) urges the President to develop a plan to 

2 identify weapons stockpiles and prevent the pro3 liferation of conventional, biological, chemical, and 

4 other types of weapons in Syria; and 

5 (13) strongly condemns the Governments of the 

6 Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran 

7 for providing military and security equipment to the 

8 Government of Syria, which has been used to repress 

9 peaceful demonstrations and commit mass atrocities 

10 against unarmed civilian populations in Syria. 

11 That the Senate— 

12 (1) condemns Syrian President Bashar al13 Assad’s ongoing atrocities against his own people; 

14 (2) reaffirms that it is the policy of the United 

15 States that the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian 

16 people cannot be realized so long as Bashar al-Assad 

17 remains in power and that he must step aside and 

18 that Syria must transition to a just, representative, 

19 and inclusive government selected by the people of 

20 Syria; 

21 (3) recognizes the efforts of the United Nations 

22 and the League of Arab States to negotiate and estab23 lish a cessation of armed violence in Syria and to de24 ploy international personnel to observe adherence by 

25 the Government of Syria to a cessation of armed vioVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:45 May 07, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\SR435.RS SR435

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•SRES 435 RS 

1 lence agreement as a first step toward full implemen2 tation of the United Nations supported six-point plan 

3 culminating in a full transition to a representative 

4 and inclusive government; 

5 (4) urges robust support for the United Nations6 administered Emergency Response Fund to ensure the 

7 sustained provision of humanitarian and emergency 

8 medical support for the population of Syria affected 

9 by the conflict; 

10 (5) urges the continued provision of adequate hu11 manitarian assistance to displaced Syrians currently 

12 located in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq; 

13 (6) calls on the President to continue to engage 

14 with the League of Arab States, the European Union, 

15 and the Government of the Republic of Turkey to dis16 cuss all options to protect civilians in Syria; 

17 (7) demands that the Government of Syria allow 

18 additional United Nations personnel into the country, 

19 with complete freedom of movement, and take nec20 essary measures to ensure their safety in Syria so 

21 that they may observe the ceasefire and the adherence 

22 by the Government of Syria to the United Nations 

23 supported six-point plan; 

24 (8) demands that the Government of Syria im25 mediately allow humanitarian relief organizations, 


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•SRES 435 RS 

1 medical workers, and independent and foreign news 

2 media to operate freely inside the borders of Syria; 

3 (9) urges the Syrian opposition to renew its 

4 commitment to a representative government and in5 clusive society based on the rule of law, commitment 

6 to universal human rights for all of its people, and 

7 protections for religious and ethnic minorities; 

8 (10) calls upon the League of Arab States, the 

9 United Nations, the Friends of the Syrian People, 

10 and other interested international bodies to continue 

11 to exert maximum diplomatic pressure for Assad to 

12 step aside and for a political transition in Syria; 

13 (11) urges the Friends of the Syrian People to 

14 renew efforts to promote cohesion of democratically 

15 oriented organizations in Syria, and to encourage 

16 these groups to make clear their intention to represent 

17 and protect the interests of all Syrians; 

18 (12) supports the efforts of the President to con19 tinue to provide non-lethal support, including com20 munications equipment to organizations in Syria 

21 that: are representative of the people of Syria, make 

22 demonstrable efforts to protect human rights and reli23 gious freedom, reject terrorism, cooperate with inter24 national counterterrorism and nonproliferation efVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:45 May 07, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\SR435.RS SR435

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•SRES 435 RS 

1 forts, and abstain from destabilizing neighboring 

2 countries; 

3 (13) urges the President to accelerate efforts with 

4 partners from the League of Arab States, the United 

5 Nations, the European Union, the Friends of the Syr6 ian People, and other interested international bodies 

7 to develop a plan to identify weapons stockpiles and 

8 prevent the proliferation of conventional, biological, 

9 chemical, and other types of weapons in Syria; 

10 (14) supports the actions of the European Union 

11 to impose a ban on the sale of luxury goods and prod12 ucts to Syria in an effort aimed at the Assad family 

13 and loyal supporters of Bashar al-Assad due to the 

14 Government of Syria’s continuing violence against 

15 the people of Syria in spite of the ceasefire agree16 ments; 

17 (15) condemns Syrian President Bashar al18 Assad’s continued failure to uphold his March 25, 

19 2012, commitment to the six point plan outlined by 

20 Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan and failed compli21 ance with United Nations Security Council Resolu22 tion 2042 (2012); 

23 (16) strongly condemns the Governments of the 

24 Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran 

25 for providing military and security equipment to the 


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•SRES 435 RS 

1 Government of Syria, which has been used to repress 

2 peaceful demonstrations and commit mass atrocities 

3 against unarmed civilian populations in Syria; and 

4 (17) strongly urges all Governments, including 

5 those that have provided military and security equip6 ment to the Government of Syria in the past, includ7 ing the Republic of Belarus and the Democratic Peo8 ple’s Republic of Korea, to refrain from providing 

9 any additional military or security assistance to the 

10 Government of Syria. 


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Calendar No. 388 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 435 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for democratic change in Syria, and for 

other purposes. 

MAY 7, 2012 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 


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