Royce, Engel call for withdrawing recognition of Assad government
The non-binding House resolution conditions recognition of the Syrian government on its full cooperation on humanitarian relief, while allowing “negotiations with Assad’s regime” to continue.
Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., unveiled a non-binding resolution on Friday that “urges the Administration and allies of the United States to formally withdraw their recognition of Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the rightful Government of Syria, unless and until the Assad regime and its supporting militias discontinue their barbaric slaughter, systematic starvation, and other grave human rights abuses and are granted full and unfettered access for deliveries of humanitarian assistance, even as other negotiations with Assad’s regime may continue.”
The resolution is one of several efforts bubbling up in Congress to address the crisis as the Syrian uprising approaches its third anniversary next week.
The resolution, which was first obtained by Al-Monitor, calls on the UN to “suspend the Government of Syria’s rights and privileges of membership by the General Assembly until such time as the Assad regime has ceased attacks upon civilians, and granted free and unfettered access for deliveries of humanitarian assistance throughout the territory of Syria.”
And it gives the Barack Obama administration 60 days to “develop and submit to Congress” a “strategy for United States engagement on the Syria crisis, with a specific focus on humanitarian assistance and development, and protecting human rights inside Syria and in the region.”
