U.S. ANNOUNCES NEW $123 MILLION IN NON-LETHAL ASSISTANCE TO SYRIAN PEOPLE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Secretary Kerry Announces Doubling of U.S. Non-lethal Assistance to the Syrian Opposition and New Humanitarian Aid for the Syrian Crisis

Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 20, 2013

Following his meetings with Syrian Coalition President al-Khatib, members of the Coalition’s leadership, and international partners supporting the Syrian opposition, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the United States’ intention to double non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as provide additional humanitarian aid to Syrians in need.

The new non-lethal assistance underscores the United States’ firm support for a political solution to the crisis in Syria and for the opposition’s advancement of an inclusive, tolerant vision for a post-Assad Syria. The United States will work with the Syrian Coalition and other opposition representatives to determine how the new $123 million in non-lethal assistance can best support their efforts to meet the needs of the Syrian people and lead the way to a political transition that will bring an end to this conflict, and build the inclusive, democratic Syria that its people deserve. This new pledge brings our total non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition and civil society groups to $250 million.

The United States will also use a portion of this non-lethal assistance to implement President Obama’s directive to provide an expanded range of support to the Supreme Military Council (SMC). We intend to expand this new support beyond military food rations and medical kits to include other types of non-lethal supplies, which would be determined in collaboration with SMC leadership.

Secretary Kerry urged international partners gathered in Istanbul, as well as all Friends of the Syrian People, to make similar pledges of assistance to the Coalition and the Supreme Military Council with the goal of reaching $1 billion in total international support for the opposition.

In recognition of the devastating humanitarian situation as a result of the crisis in Syria, Secretary Kerry also announced nearly $25 million in additional food assistance for the Syrian people. This aid will provide 25,500 metric tons of wheat – providing four months’ supply of flour to over one million people – as well as food rations for those inside Syria and refugees in Jordan affected by the violence. The United Nations World Food Program will begin distributing the wheat to those in need in all 14 Syrian governorates as quickly as possible. The United States is the largest donor of food assistance both within Syria and for refugees in the affected neighboring countries and is providing a total of over $409 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis.

MORE U.S. AID TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY SYRIAN CONFLICT

Map:  Syria.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
The U.S. Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Syrian Crisis
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 29, 2013

Today, President Obama reaffirmed the United States’ continued commitment and support for the Syrian people by announcing an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid to help meet the acute needs of people inside Syria and refugees across the region who are affected by the violence in Syria. This new funding includes the $10 million announced last week in Turkey by the visiting U.S. delegation. This new assistance brings the United States’ total humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria to approximately $365 million to date.

In December 2012, the United Nations issued revised humanitarian appeals to help meet the growing needs of those affected by the conflict in Syria. The United States strongly supports these appeals as the most effective way for donors to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. The United States is helping to meet urgent needs in all 14 governorates inside Syria through its support for the UN appeals and by partnering with non-governmental organizations.

INSIDE SYRIA:
U.S. assistance is:

· helping feed millions of Syrians throughout all 14 governorates;

· providing medicine and medical treatment in areas including Damascus, Dar’a and Homs;

· immunizing one million Syrian children against preventable diseases like the measles;

· providing winter supplies to Syrians in areas including Aleppo, Dayr az Zawr and Homs.

With this additional funding, the United States is providing nearly $202 million to address critical needs inside of Syria. U.S. assistance is tackling severe food shortages through robust funding of international and non-governmental organizations providing food packages to those in need and flour to restart bakeries. Funding for emergency health care and supplies will enable surgeons in field hospitals and mobile clinics to save more lives. For those taking refuge in damaged public buildings, we are providing winter supplies such as blankets, heating stoves, and heavy-duty plastic sheeting to cover windows and other damaged areas. We are supporting the provision of household items, shelter support, cash assistance, health care, and community protection services to displaced Syrians. U.S. funding enables direct food, cash, and winter assistance for more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees inside Syria who are affected by the violence.

REGIONAL:
The United States is providing $5 million in additional regional contributions to UN agencies as part of the refugee response, including in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.

JORDAN:
The United States is providing over $52 million for Syrians in Jordan who have fled the violence in Syria.

U.S. assistance to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and non-governmental organizations is helping Syrians living in local communities as well as in Za’atri camp. In addition to providing food, water, winter supplies and shelter, U.S. assistance is supporting medical assistance, efforts to address psychological trauma, and support measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Community impact projects provide needed support to Syrians as well as to Jordanian host communities. U.S. assistance helps children through informal and remedial education programs, formal schooling, and programs that help them deal with trauma. Partners are also providing emergency transport and reception and health referrals.

LEBANON:
With this additional funding, the United States is providing nearly $51 million to help support displaced Syrians and Palestinians in Lebanon who have fled the violence in Syria.

Previous U.S. contributions in Lebanon are helping provide rent support, household items, and food vouchers. Additionally, U.S. assistance supports primary health care consultations, services, and emergency medical care.

As part of this new announcement, the United States is supporting UNHCR Lebanon’s critical work providing for the basic humanitarian needs of Syrians in Lebanon, including medical services and supplies, such as clean water, blankets, and shelter support. Additional support to WFP will continue to provide food vouchers and dry rations to refugees throughout Lebanon.

The United States is also supporting efforts to assist Palestinian refugees who have fled Syria by providing education, relief supplies, shelter, and medical care in Lebanon.

In addition, the United States is also providing contributions to other UN agencies as well as international NGOs providing much needed shelter and medical care to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

TURKEY:
With this additional funding, the United States is providing more than $34 million to help those in Turkey who have fled the violence in Syria.

The Government of Turkey, through the Turkish Red Crescent, is leading the relief effort with strong support from the United States and international partners. U.S. support of UN agencies helps feed Syrians, provides safe, child-friendly learning environments, and resources like household items, winter tents and blankets. The United States is also funding measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

As part of this new announcement, the United States is supporting the expansion of programs providing debit cards and cookware so Syrians can purchase and cook food for their families. This contribution includes funding to the Turkish Red Crescent for winterization support in the camps. U.S. funding also supports primary health care for urban refugees and Syrian children dealing with the trauma they have endured.

IRAQ:
With this assistance, the United States is providing nearly $19 million to help support Syrians who have fled to Iraq.

The United States is providing food aid, medical supplies, emergency and basic health care, shelter materials, clean water, hygiene education and supplies, and other relief supplies to refugees in host communities and camps. Separately, the United States continues its strong support for the thousands of Iraqi refugees who have returned to Iraq as a result of the violence in Syria.

As part of this new announcement, in addition to UNHCR, the United States is supporting IOM for the provision of basic domestic and hygiene items and other non-food items for Syrian refugee camps in Iraq. Additional funding through WFP ensures the continued provision of hot meals, bread, dry rations and food vouchers.

EGYPT:
The United States is providing more than $2 million in food assistance and to support UNHCR’s efforts for Syrian refugees in Egypt.

The United States recognizes and applauds the generosity of the governments and people of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and other nations hosting all those who have fled the violence in Syria. These countries have taken on a significant burden. They are not alone.

PATRIOT MISSILES DEPLOYED TO TURKEY

Photo:  Patriot Missile System.  Credit:  U.S. DOD.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., NATO Patriots Deploy to Augment Turkish Air Defenses
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2013 - With advance elements of two U.S. Patriot missile batteries already on the ground in Turkey, additional defenders are prepared to deploy tomorrow in support of NATO's missile defense mission there.

Airmen from the 721st Aerial Port Squadron loaded equipment for U.S. Army Europe's 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command and 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, and the 32nd AAMDC from Fort Bliss, Texas, aboard a C-5 aircraft today at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, officials at U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Air Forces in Europe confirmed.

The 10th AAMDC will provide command and control for two Patriot missile batteries from the 32nd AAMDC.

Meanwhile, roughly 400 U.S. personnel and equipment from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery, based at Fort Sill, Okla., began flowing into Turkey late last week to man the equipment, U.S. European Command officials said. Additional equipment will arrive by sea later this month.

In Turkey, the U.S. forces will be joined by missile defenders from Germany and the Netherlands, the only other NATO nations with PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile systems, which are each contributing two batteries to the mission.

NATO foreign ministers agreed in late November to provide Turkey the air defense support it had requested. The request came after shells from Syria's political unrest -– which a new United Nations report estimated this week has claimed 60,000 lives -- spilled into Turkey.

"NATO has decided to augment Turkey's air defense capabilities in order to defend the population and territory of Turkey and contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along the alliance's border," the ministers said in a statement released following the meeting.

"Turkey is an important NATO ally, and we welcome the opportunity to support the Turkish government's request in accordance with the NATO standing defense plan," said Navy Vice Adm. Charles Martoglio, Eucom's deputy commander.

Martoglio said the Patriot batteries will fall under NATO command once the systems become operational within the next several weeks.

He emphasized that the deployment will be defensive only, and won't support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation.

Army Lt. Col. Robert Ozanich, intelligence and security officer for the Kaiserslautern-based 10th AAMDC, said the command-and-control element his command is deploying will interact with the Turkish government and NATO forces to ensure they are providing the protections Turkey has requested.

With experience throughout the European theater under their belts -- including recent deployments to Poland and to Israel during the Austere Challenge 2012 exercise -- the deploying soldiers have the experience and hands-on time with their equipment to carry out the mission, Ozanich said. "One of the biggest pieces is making sure that our soldiers are ready," he said.

Equally important, he said, they have had the opportunity to work side by side with partner militaries and to develop an awareness of cultural customs, courtesies and sensitivities.

"The people going forward look forward to doing the mission they have trained for," Ozanich said. "Our expectations are that we will be able to successfully complete this mission and provide the necessary protections to Turkey."

"It's good to be in Turkey," said Army Maj. Brian Carlin, who deployed to Turkey with the advance elements. "We believe the measure of deterrence that we can add makes our soldiers' time away from friends and families back home worthwhile. Protecting our allies is what this alliance is all about."

At this point, it's unclear how long the deployment will last. That, officials said, will be determined by the contributing nations in coordination with Turkey and NATO.

(Jesse Granger and Army Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado from U.S. Army Europe contributed to this article.)

TURKEY'S NATIONAL DAY

Map Credit: CIA World Factbook

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

On the Occasion of the Republic of Turkey's National Day

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 26, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Turkey as you celebrate the 89th anniversary of the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey this October 29.

On this special day, we reaffirm the strong partnership between our nations and the common desire to bolster peace and security around the world, promote economic prosperity, and encourage democratic transitions. This year we also celebrate the 60th anniversary of Turkey’s NATO membership and our collaboration to deepen global security and combat terrorism, including regional threats like the PKK. The United States deeply appreciates the sacrifices the Turkish people are making to provide relief to over 100,000 Syrians seeking refuge from Asad’s brutality. And we stand with you as a friend and partner as we work together to address this conflict and ease the burden of this humanitarian crisis.

I look forward to deepening the already strong ties between us as we work together for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the Kurdistan People's Congress or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community. Over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy; it began accession membership talks with the European Union in 2005.

CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER U.S. REACTION TO SYRIA

FROM:  THE CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL WEBSITE
War Drums for Syria?
War drums are beating again in Washington. This time Syria is in the crosshairs after a massacre there last week left more than 100 dead. As might be expected from an administration with an announced policy of "regime change" in Syria, the reaction was to blame only the Syrian government for the tragedy, expel Syrian diplomats from Washington, and announce that the US may attack Syria even without UN approval. Of course, the idea that the administration should follow the Constitution and seek a Declaration of War from Congress is considered even more anachronistic now than under the previous administration.

It may be the case that the Syrian military was responsible for the events last week, but recent bombings and attacks have been carried out by armed rebels with reported al-Qaeda ties. With the stakes so high, it would make sense to wait for a full investigation -- unless the truth is less important than stirring up emotions in favor of a US attack.

There is ample reason to be skeptical about US government claims amplified in mainstream media reports. How many times recently have lies and exaggerations been used to push for the use of force overseas? It was not long ago that we were told Gaddafi was planning genocide for the people of Libya, and the only way to stop it was a US attack. Those claims turned out to be false, but by then the US and NATO had already bombed Libya, destroying its infrastructure, killing untold numbers of civilians, and leaving a gang of violent thugs in charge.

Likewise, we were told numerous falsehoods to increase popular support for the 2003 war on Iraq, including salacious stories of trans-Atlantic drones and WMDs. Advocates of war did not understand the complexities of Iraqi society, including its tribal and religious differences. As a result, Iraq today is a chaotic mess, with its ancient Christian population eliminated and the economy set back decades. An unnecessary war brought about by lies and manipulation never ends well.

Earlier still, we were told lies about genocide and massacres in Kosovo to pave the way for President Clinton's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. More than 12 years later, that region is every bit as unstable and dangerous as before the US intervention – and American troops are still there.

The story about the Syrian massacre keeps changing, which should raise suspicions. First, we were told that the killings were caused by government shelling, but then it was discovered that most were killed at close range with handgun fire and knives. No one has explained why government forces would take the time to go house to house binding the hands of the victims before shooting them, and then retreat to allow the rebels in to record the gruesome details. No one wants to ask or answer the disturbing questions, but it would be wise to ask ourselves who benefits from these stories.

We have seen media reports over the past several weeks that the Obama administration is providing direct "non-lethal" assistance to the rebels in Syria while facilitating the transfer of weapons from other Gulf States. This semi-covert assistance to rebels we don't know much about threatens to become overt intervention. Last week Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said about Syria, "I think the military option should be considered." And here all along I thought it was up to Congress to decide when we go to war, not the generals.

We are on a fast track to war against Syria. It is time to put on the brakes.

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINT'ON'S INTERVIEW WITH CLARISSA WARD OF CBS

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Interview With Clarissa Ward of CBS News
Interview Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Istanbul Congress Center
Istanbul, Turkey
April 1, 2012 

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you so much for --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

QUESTION: -- taking the time to talk with us. I wanted to begin by talking about former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s six-point plan. During the week since Bashar al-Assad claimed to accept the plan, there’s been no let-up in the violence, and I just wanted to ask you, at what point do we say that this plan has been a failure? What is the deadline?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Clarissa – excuse me, let me start over again – Clarissa, let me say that the plan is a good plan. It’s getting it implemented, as you point out, which is the real challenge. And we’re going to hear from Kofi Annan to the Security Council tomorrow, so we’ll get a firsthand report. But as you saw coming out of this conference, there does need to be a timeline. We cannot permit Assad and his regime and his allies to allow what is a good faith negotiating process by a very expert, experienced negotiator to be used as an excuse for continuing the killing. We think Assad must go. The killing must stop. The sooner we get into a process that ends up there, the better. And I think former Secretary General Annan understands that.

QUESTION: But how do you enforce that timeline?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think it’s self-enforced. I think he has to be the one who says, within a relatively short period of time, we’re not getting any results, I was given promises, they’re not kept. Because then we would go back to the Security Council. Now, what will Russia and China say? Kofi Annan has gone to Moscow, he’s gone to Beijing, he’s met with them. They support his plan. They have urged publicly that Assad follow the plan. So if we have to go back to the Security Council to get authority that would enable us to do more to help the Syrians really withstand this kind of terrible assault and get the aid that they need to get the humanitarian assistance they require, I think we’ll be in a stronger position than we would if he hadn’t had a chance to go and try to negotiate.

QUESTION: So one of the primary functions of the Friends of Syria is to provide support for the opposition, but up to this point, we still don’t see any real coordination and communication among the different both armed and political opposition groups inside Syria. How much of a frustration is that for you as you go through this process?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’m encouraged by what we heard today, and I met privately with representatives of the Syrian National Council. They are making progress. They have unified around a compact, a national pact, about what they want to see in a new Syria, which is important, because then that sets the parameters for the kind of opposition that will be under their umbrella. They have reached out and included a much more diverse group of Syrians than when I met with them in Tunis or the first time in Geneva. They’re making progress. This is quite difficult, but I am encouraged.

What they need is what we are now offering. We are offering assistance to them, and it’s a variety of different sorts of assistance. The United States will be offering – in addition to significant humanitarian aid – will be offering technical and logistical support. You mentioned communications. They have a great deal of difficulty communicating inside Syria. You were there. You know how hard it is. We think we have some assets that we can get in there which we would try to do that will enable them to have better communication. So everyone’s looking to see what they can provide that is value-added for the opposition.

QUESTION: But no clear leader has emerged who can articulate what the opposition’s political vision for their country is.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that leaders have emerged who have played a very important role, and I thought the presentation by Professor Ghalioun was good today in how he set forth what their objectives were. But in this kind of fast-moving event, more people will come to the forefront. I met a very impressive young woman who just left Homs who is now active in the Syrian National Council. She looks to me to be an up-and-coming leader.

So I don’t think we can sit here today and say who is the leader, but by assisting the Syrian National Council, we are assisting the leadership, and there will be leaders within the civilian side of that, and there will be leaders within the military side.

QUESTION: We were recently inside Syria in the north in the city of Idlib, and the rebels who we were staying with now tell us that they have no ammunition left, they have no money left, and that their only recourse for self defense is to build IEDs or bombs. Obviously, there is a host of very complex issues associated with arming the opposition, or rebel groups specifically, but are you not concerned that if no support comes from the outside, that this could really devolve into a very bloody, ugly insurgency, and that if we aren’t the ones to provide that help, other non-state actors like extremist groups such as al-Qaida might be the ones to fill that void?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that’s why you heard today that a group of nations will be providing assistance for the fighters, and that is a decision that is being welcomed by the Syrian National Council. The United States will be doing other kinds of assistance. Other countries will as well. So we have evolved from trying to get our arms around what is an incredibly complex issue with a just nascent opposition that has now become much more solidified with a lot of doubts inside Syria itself from people who were either afraid of the Assad regime or afraid of what might come after to a much clearer picture, where we are now, I think, proceeding on a path that is going to have some positive returns.

QUESTION: Do you see any signs that Bashar al-Assad is starting to crack, that his regime is starting to feel the pressure, that conferences like this one are really having some kind of an impact?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, today, we heard from a deputy oil minister who defected, and certainly, his presentation to the large group suggested that, because the pressure that is being put on those who are still allied with the regime from outside and inside is increasing – the sanctions, the travel bans, the kinds of reputational loss, the fears that people are having, because as you are engaged in this kind of terrible authoritarian crackdown, people get paranoid and they start worrying about the guy sitting next to them. We do see those kinds of cracks. We think that the defections from the military are in the thousands. We know that there are perhaps two dozen high officers --

QUESTION: But there haven’t been more defections in the way that we saw in Libya from Assad’s inner circle.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, partly because when there were a couple of defections, the regime has cracked down and was basically holding families hostage. In fact, the man who spoke to us today, his family had gotten out ahead in Jordan, so he was free to leave. But that is an unsustainable position. You cannot turn the whole country into a giant prison. People are not going to put up with that after a while. So we think that there are cracks. I can’t put a timeframe on it, but we think that that is beginning to happen.

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you so much for your time.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Great to talk to you.

QUESTION: Likewise.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Be safe.

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON ON INTERVENTION IN SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Intervention to the Friends of the Syrian People
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State As Prepared
Istanbul, Turkey
April 1, 2012
I want to thank Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Davutoglu and the people of Turkey for hosting us today. Turkey has shown steadfast leadership throughout this crisis. I also want to recognize the continuing contributions of the Arab League and in particular the work of Secretary General Elaraby and the chair of the Syria committee, Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim. To all my colleagues, and to all our friends and partners around the world, thank you for standing by the Syrian people.

We meet at an urgent moment for Syria and the region. Faced with a united international community and persistent popular opposition, Bashar al-Assad pledged to implement Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s initial six point plan. He promised to pull his regime’s forces back and silence its heavy weapons, allow peaceful demonstrations and access for humanitarian aid and journalists, and begin a political transition.

Nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding to its long list of broken promises.

Rather than pull back, Assad’s troops have launched new assaults on Syrian cities and towns, including in the Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Rather than allowing access for humanitarian aid, security forces have tightened their siege of residential neighborhoods in Homs and elsewhere. And rather than beginning a political transition, the regime has crushed dozens of peaceful protests.

The world must judge Assad by what he does, not by what he says. And we cannot sit back and wait any longer. Yesterday in Riyadh, I joined with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to call for an immediate end to the killing in Syria and to urge Joint Special Envoy Annan to set a timeline for next steps. We look forward to hearing his views on the way forward when he addresses the United Nations Security Council tomorrow.

Here in Istanbul, we must take steps of our own to ratchet up pressure on the regime, provide humanitarian relief to people in need, and support the opposition as it works toward an inclusive, democratic and orderly transition that preserves the integrity and institutions of the Syrian state.

First, pressure. On Friday, the United States announced new sanctions against three more senior regime officials: Minister of Defense Rajiha, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Adanov and Head of Presidential Security Shalish. A growing list of Syria’s worst human rights offenders are learning that they cannot escape the consequences of their actions. I am pleased that the Friends of the Syrian People have agreed to form a sanctions working group, to coordinate and expand our national sanctions and strengthen enforcement. Together we must further isolate this regime, cut off its funds, and squeeze its ability to wage war on its own people.

The United States will also work with international partners to establish an accountability clearinghouse to support and train Syrian citizens working to document atrocities, identify perpetrators, and safeguard evidence for future investigations and prosecutions.
Our message must be clear to those who give the orders and those who carry them out: Stop killing your fellow citizens or you will face serious consequences. Your countrymen will not forget, and neither will the international community.
Turning to the humanitarian effort, the United States is expanding our commitment to help the people of Syria. This week in Washington, I met with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross and we discussed the urgent needs, especially in the communities suffering under relentless shelling.

In Tunis, I pledged $10 million to fund makeshift field hospitals, train emergency medical staff, and get clean water, food, blankets, heaters, and hygiene kits to civilians who desperately need them, including displaced people. Despite the regime’s efforts to deny access, that aid is starting to get through. So in March we added $2 million to our commitment, and today I am announcing more than $12 million for the Syrian people – for a total of nearly $25 million.

But we know that no amount of aid will be enough if the regime continues its military campaign, targets relief workers, blocks supplies, restricts freedom of movement, and disrupts medical services. So the United States fully supports the UN’s diplomatic effort to secure safe and unfettered access for humanitarian workers and supplies, including a daily, two-hour ceasefire -- beginning immediately -- to allow aid to get in and wounded civilians to get out. And I want to thank the governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq for keeping their borders open and serving as generous hosts to Syrians in great need.
The third track is supporting the opposition as it plans for an inclusive, democratic transition.

Here in Istanbul, the Syrian National Council and a wide range of opposition groups are uniting around a common vision for a free, democratic and pluralist Syria that protects the rights of all citizens and all communities. It is a roadmap for saving the state and its institutions from Assad’s death spiral. And it is worthy of support from the international community and Syrians from every background.

Turning this vision into reality will not be easy, but it is essential. Assad must go and Syrians must choose their own path. Citizens across the country are already laying the groundwork. Peaceful protests continue to swell, with citizens marching in the streets of Syrian cities and towns, demanding dignity and freedom. The regime has done everything it can to prevent peaceful political organizing, and activists and opposition members have been jailed, tortured, and killed. And yet, local councils have emerged all across the country. They are organizing civil resistance and providing basic governance, services and humanitarian relief, even as the shells rain down around them.

To support civil opposition groups as they walk this difficult path, the United States is going beyond humanitarian aid and providing additional assistance, including communications equipment that will help activists organize, evade attacks by the regime, and connect to the outside world – and we are discussing with our international partners how best to expand this support.

In the unlikely event that the Assad regime reverses course and begins to implement the six-point plan, then Kofi Annan will work with the opposition to take steps of its own. But in the meantime, Syrians will continue to defend themselves. And they must continue building momentum toward a new Syria: free, unified, and at peace.

Now that they have a unified vision for transition, it will be crucial for the opposition to translate it into a political action plan to win support among all of Syria’s communities. We’ve seen here in Istanbul that disparate opposition factions can come together. Despite the dangers they face, the next step is to take their case across Syria, to lead a national conversation about how to achieve the future Syrians want and deserve. That’s how the opposition will demonstrate beyond any doubt that they hold the moral high ground, strip away Assad’s remaining support, and expose the regime’s hypocrisy.

So this is where we find ourselves today: Kofi Annan has given us a plan to begin resolving this crisis. Bashar al-Assad has so far refused to honor his pledge to implement it. The time for excuses is over.

President Medvedev calls this the “last chance” for Syria. I call it a moment of truth.
Together we must hasten the day that peace and freedom come to Syria. That solution cannot come fast enough, and we grieve for every lost day and every lost life.
We are committed to this effort and we are confident that the people of Syria will take control of their own destiny. Let us be worthy of this challenge and move ahead with clear eyes and firm determination.
Thank you.

U.S. PURSUING DIPLOMACY TO GET AID TO SYRIAN PEOPLE

The following excerpt is from a State Department e-mail: 
Humanitarian Relief for Syrians
Fact SheetOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DC
March 15, 2012
The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief into Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure safe access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. To that end, the United States is providing over $12 million in humanitarian assistance through the UN and other humanitarian organizations to support the people of Syria. This assistance is supporting international and non-governmental humanitarian partners, including:
$5.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
$3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC);
$3 million to the World Food Program (WFP); and
$1 million to non-governmental organizations (NGO).

U.S. efforts also include bolstering existing regional stockpiles of humanitarian supplies and equipment to be delivered to vulnerable and besieged Syrian communities. These stockpiles of food and other emergency relief supplies are part of a growing international effort to rush humanitarian aid into Syria to alleviate suffering as access and conditions allow.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are delivering critical medical services and supplies, food, water, blankets, hygiene kits, and heaters to the Syrian people. This funding will also provide support for host families who are sheltering displaced Syrians due to the ongoing violence and to those who have fled to neighboring countries.
On March 14, 2012, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a special alert voicing serious concern over the state of food security, especially for vulnerable groups. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 1.4 million people have become food insecure as a result of the violence.

WFP plans to provide food aid to 100,000 people affected by the civil conflict in 11 governorates in Syria. The WFP operation provides rations to displaced Syrians and host families, households that have lost breadwinners or livelihoods, female-headed households, and unaccompanied minors. Since February 20, the World Food Program has delivered 16,850 family food rations—sufficient to feed approximately 84,000 people for one month—to Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) warehouses in 11 governorates in Syria. SARC has distributed 7,415 WFP food rations to beneficiaries this month, although several of the worst-affected areas within the governorates remain inaccessible due to insecurity.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY JEFFREY FELTMAN ADDRESSES CRISIS IN SYRIA

The following excerpt is from a State Department e-mail:

Syria: The Crisis and Its Implications
TestimonyJeffrey D. Feltman
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern AffairsWashington, DC
March 1, 2012
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FELTMAN: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Kerry, Ranking Member Lugar, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for holding this important hearing.

I appeared before your regional subcommittee in November to discuss the crisis in Syria. And since that time, our European friends have joined us in sanctioning the Central Bank of Syria, impeding the financing of the regime's brutal crackdown. The E.U. has completed its implementation of its embargo on oil purchases from Syria, halting a third of Bashar's government revenues.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership, with many Arab states downgrading diplomatic relations and freezing Syrian bank accounts. The Arab League put forth a political transition plan for Syria. Over 137 countries -- excuse me -- supported a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Syrian regime's violence and supporting the Arab League transition plan.

More than 60 countries and institutions met in Tunis as Friends of the Syrian People to endorse the Arab transition plan, to demand an immediate end to the violence, and to commit to practical steps to address the Syrian crisis. The Syrian opposition in Tunis articulated a clear, credible transition plan and addressed minority fears directly and convincingly.

We announced $10 million in immediate humanitarian assistance, with millions more from other countries. The UN, the Arab League have appointed a joint high-profile envoy, Kofi Annan, with a mandate from the Arab League initiative and the UN General Assembly resolution. And just this morning, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva overwhelmingly passed a strong resolution, which is the council's fourth, essentially describing the situation in Syria as a manmade humanitarian disaster. And we all know the identity of the man responsible for that disaster.

Now, these are just some of the examples of regional and international resolve. But nevertheless, as both of you have described, we've also seen that the Assad regime has intensified its vicious campaign of attacks against the Syrian people. The situation is, frankly, horrific, including indiscriminate artillery fire against entire neighborhoods, and today's reports from Homs are truly alarming.

Large numbers of Syrians are living every day under siege, deprived of basic necessities including food, clean water and medical supplies. Women and children are wounded and dying for lack of treatment. Innocent people are detained and tortured, and their families left to fear the worst.

Yet, despite the regime's brutality, the people of Syria demonstrate enormous courage. Their determination to continue protesting for their rights, mostly still peaceful protests, is an inspiration and a testimony to the human spirit.

Now, as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs watching the upheavals in the Arab world, I'm humble enough to say that we don't know for sure when the tipping point, the breaking point will come in Syria. But it will come.
The demise of the Assad regime is inevitable. It's important that the tipping point for the regime be reached quickly, because the longer the regime assaults the Syrian people, the greater the chances of all-out war in a failed state.

All of the elements of U.S. policy towards Syria are channeled toward accelerating the arrival of that tipping point. As I referred to at the start, through the Friends of the Syrian People group, we are translating international consensus into action.

We are galvanizing international partners to implement more effective sanctions and to deepen the regime's isolation. We're supporting the Arab League's and now the UN General Assembly's call for an immediate transition in Syria. We're moving ahead with humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, demanding that attacks cease and access be granted. And we're engaging with the Syrian opposition on their vision for Syria's future, a proud and democratic Syria that upholds the rights and responsibilities of all of its citizens regardless of their religion, their gender or their ethnicity.

Now, together, we're working to persuade frightened communities inside Syria that their interests are best served by helping to build that better Syria, not by casting their lot with a losing regime, a corrupt and abusive regime which has been a malignant blight in the Middle East for far too long. The goal of the opposition and the Friends of the Syrian People alike is as follows: a Syrian-led political transition to democratic government based on the rule of law and the will of the people with protection of minority rights.
I would like to close my opening statement by echoing this committee's praise of my fellow witness and friend, Ambassador Robert Ford.

Ambassador Ford's courageous actions on the ground in Syria these past months have been a great credit to him, to the foreign service, and to the United States. He repeatedly put himself in harm's way to make it clear that the United States stands with the people of Syria and their dream of a better future. And I want to thank this committee for its leadership in supporting his confirmation.