WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release) — U.S. Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), a Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, have sent a letter to the President asking him to fully implement U.S. sanctions laws targeting Syria and to step up support for democracy promotion in Syria.
Rep. Engel authored the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-175), and was joined by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen as the lead Republican co-sponsor, which sought to mandate sanctions against Syria for its threatening activities.
Statement by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen: “Tough U.S. sanctions laws targeting Syria are on the books, but they have not been fully enforced by successive administrations. The Syrian regime’s recent escalation of oppression of the Syrian people and opposition groups illustrates once again the threat posed by the regime to its own people. But we also must not forget that through its alliance with Iran, support for extremist groups, and illegal unconventional weapons programs, Syria threatens vital U.S. security interests and those of our allies. It’s time to increase the sting of the sanctions already in place against the Syrian regime.”
Statement by Rep. Engel: “Syria is not only hosting the world’s worst terrorist groups and developing weapons of mass destruction, now it’s murdering its own people. It’s long past time to impose the full range of sanctions on Syria and to work with our allies to tighten the screws on the Assad regime.”
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Preceding provided by Congressman Engel