Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
The bloodshed in Syria is unacceptable we must remain committed to peacefully resolving a civil war that has claimed about 154,000 Syrian lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of women and children, says Rep. Jackson Lee.
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the following statement regarding the current situation of war torn Syria:
“After almost three years of continuous bloodshed, the crisis in Syria has reached a decisive moment. Syria today is the scene of some of the worst state-sponsored violence since Milosevic’s war crimes in the Balkans. And the bloodshed continues, with no end in sight. We now have a raging war in Syria and an international response is needed immediately.
“What is all the more astonishing is that Dr. Assad’s killing spree has continued despite severe and escalating international pressure against him. Despite three year’s worth of diplomacy backed by sanctions, Assad and his lieutenants show no signs of giving up. To the contrary, they appear to be accelerating their fight to the finish. Unfortunately, with each passing day, the international response to Assad’s atrocities is being overtaken by events on the ground in Syria.
“Some countries are beginning to confront this reality, as well as its implications. Syrians themselves are increasingly calling for international intervention, including military assistance. Our current policy is not succeeding, and the current course is no longer strategically or morally sustainable. For this reason, the time has come for a new policy. I will be calling for the following:
1. The creation of a safe zone in which the opposition can create and form a stable government 2. A safe route for humanitarian efforts to be made available to those that need them
The humanitarian crisis is at an unspeakable level. Families and children are dying – the United States and its allies should work together to help now. We can actually respond without putting boots on the ground but this bloodshed must stop now. As we continue to isolate Assad diplomatically and economically, we should work with our closest friends and allies to support opposition groups inside Syria, both political and military, to help them organize themselves into a more cohesive and effective force that can put an end to the bloodshed and force Assad and his loyalists to leave power, which has been the goal of United States policy since August 2011.
“I am calling for immediate relief and the immediate resignation of Dr. Assad and his Cabinet and they must immediately leave the country but Allies must ensure the safety for all those that remain within Syrian borders. The Syrian people deserve a chance at freedom, and shame on us if we fail to help them now in their moment of greatest need.”
