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.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN EXPLAINS VOTE ON RESOLUTION REGARDING SYRIAN GOVERNMENT

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, At the Adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2042
Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations New York, NY April 14, 2012
AS DELIVERED
After more than a year of brutal violence inflicted by the Government of Syria on its own people, after close to 10,000 deaths, after driving almost 45,000 Syrians out of their country and many more out of their homes, and after the grotesque destruction by Syria’s own armed forces of Syrian towns and neighborhoods, the Syrian government has claimed it is finally ready to step back from its murderous policies. Today, with this resolution, the Security Council has indicated it will judge the Syrian regime by its actions, not its words. The Council has authorized an advance group of monitors to verify the Syrian government’s compliance. In doing so, the Council has taken a step towards fulfilling its own responsibilities. And it’s about time.

On Thursday, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, reported that a "fragile calm appears to be prevailing" in Syria. We all hope it will continue to prevail. But we are under no illusions. Two days of diminished violence after a year of murderous rampage hardly proves that the regime is serious about honoring its commitments. Just today, Syrian forces resumed their brutal shelling of Homs, and shot innocent mourners at a funeral in Aleppo. This resumed violence casts serious doubts yet again on the regime’s commitment to a cessation of violence. Despite this aggression, the Syrian opposition has largely refrained from responding and has honorably sought to extend the fragile calm. The regime’s tanks, heavy weapons, and troops maintain their choke hold on population centers, ready to resume attacks at any time. Towns and large areas remain cut off, and the Asad regime maintains snipers and roadblocks throughout Syria. Reports continue to come in that protesters have been killed and arrested, and thousands of activists remain detained. The Syrian government must meet all of its commitments, not the bare minimum. And it must do so now.

The suffering of the Syrian people has gone on far too long. For many months they protested peacefully, only to be met with violent retribution from their own government. When some protesters finally dared to respond in self-defense, the retribution got immeasurably worse. The Arab League proposed a way forward to end the violence and meet the aspirations of the Syrian people. The regime of Bashar Asad responded with broken promises, only to be followed by intensified violence. In the final days before April 12th, we saw an outrageous escalation of violence by the Asad regime, including the stepped up use of heavy artillery on civilian areas and Syrian forces firing across borders into Turkey and Lebanon.

This horrific cycle has lasted way too long. The Syrian people must be allowed to exercise their rights and freedoms peacefully, without fear of attack, detention, torture, or death. We commend the opposition for the restraint it has shown in observing the ceasefire, after the brutality it has endured. And we demand that the Syrian government at last honor its commitments. Those commitments are plain to everyone. Both this Council and the League of Arab States have fully endorsed Mr. Annan's Six Point Plan. As Secretary Clinton noted, the plan is not a menu of options. It’s a comprehensive set of obligations that requires visible and verifiable actions by the Government of Syria.

The resolution just adopted reaffirms the Council’s support for all elements of the Envoy’s plan, including an immediate end to violence, securing humanitarian access, and a Syrian-led political transition that meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people. The resolution stresses that the Syrian government must immediately fulfil its remaining obligations to bring about a full cessation of violence. It emphasizes the necessity of the Syrian government immediately withdrawing all its troops and heavy weapons from population centers and returning its soldiers and their equipment to their barracks. It authorizes the Secretary-General to send an initial team of up to 30 observers to verify that the Syrian government is doing what it is obliged to do, including ensuring that the full monitoring mission can do its job, unimpeded, with full freedom of movement, full access to people and institutions, and unobstructed communications. The resolution also expresses the Council’s intention to establish a larger observer mission once the Secretary General presents a blueprint and if it is clear that the cease-fire is holding and the government is cooperating.

We see this advance team’s deployment as an important test of the Syrian government’s intentions. If the government obstructs their work, it will raise serious concerns about moving forward with the establishment of the full mission. We await the Secretary General's proposal for a full observation mission and express our willingness to work quickly with Council members to authorize such a mission, if indeed the Syrian government fulfils its commitments.

The United States expresses its appreciation again to Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan for his dedicated work to try to stop the violence, respect the rights of the Syrian people, and begin a transition towards a stable and legitimate governance. The opportunity is there; the burden is now on the Syrian government to seize it.