,,ia  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,j4 ,,res4 #fa  ,,in ,,the ,,house  
,,of ,,representatives  ,september #aa1 
#bjac,mr4 ,pascrell introduced the      
following joint resolution2 which was   
referred to the ,committee on ,foreign  
,affairs  ,,joint ,,resolution  ,to     
prevent further use of chemical weapons 
in ,syria4  ,whereas the abuses of the  
regime of ,bashar al-,assad have        
included the brutal repression and war  
upon its own civilian population1       
resulting in more than #ajj1jjj people  
killed in the past two years1 #b1jjj1jjj
 ,syrian refugees in neighboring        
countries1 and #d1ejj1jjj internally    
displaced persons in ,syria1 creating an
 unprecedented regional crisis and      
instability2 ,whereas the ,assad regime 
has the largest chemical weapons        
programs in the region and has          
demonstrated its capability and         
willingness to repeatedly use weapons of
 mass destruction against its own       
people1 including the ,august #ba1      

#bjac1 attack in the suburbs of         
,damascus in which the ,assad regime    
murdered over #a1djj innocent people1   
including hundreds of children2 ,whereas
 there is clear and compelling evidence 
of the direct involvement of ,assad     
regime forces and senior officials in   
the planning1 execution1 and            
after-action attempts to cover up the   
,august #ba1 #bjac1 attack and hide or  
destroy evidence of such attack2        
,whereas ,syria is in material breach of
 the laws of war by having employed     
chemical weapons against its civilian   
population2 ,whereas the ,arab ,league  
has declared with regards to the ,august
 #ba1 #bjac1 incident to hold the       
,syrian regime responsible for this     
heinous crime2 ,whereas the ,united     
,nations ,security ,council1 in         
,resolution #aedj 7#bjjd71 affirmed that
 the proliferation of nuclear1 chemical1
 and biological weapons constitutes a   
threat to international peace and       
security2 ,whereas in the ,syria        

,accountability and ,lebanese           
,sovereignty ,restoration ,act of #bjjc 
7,public ,law #ajh-age71 ,congress found
 that ,syria's acquisition of weapons of
 mass destruction threatens the security
 of the ,middle ,east and the national  
security interests of the ,united       
,states2 ,whereas the actions and       
conduct of the ,assad regime are in     
direct contravention of ,syria's legal  
obligations under the ,united ,nations  
,charter1 the ,geneva ,conventions1 and 
the ,protocol to the ,hague ,convention 
on the ,prohibition of the ,use in ,war 
of ,asphyxiating1 ,poisonous or other   
,gases1 and of ,bacteriological ,methods
 of ,warfare1 done at ,geneva ,june #ag1
 #aibe1 and also violate the standards  
set forth in the ,convention on the     
,prohibition of the ,development1       
,production1 ,stockpiling and use of    
,chemical ,weapons and on their         
,destruction1 done at ,paris ,january   
#ac1 #aiic2 ,whereas all possible       
diplomatic means should be pursued to   

assure that chemical weapons are not    
used again2 ,whereas pursuant to the    
,war ,powers ,resolution 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 
#aeda et seq471 ,congress retains the   
power to authorize the use of military  
force2 and ,whereas1 the conflict in    
,syria will only be resolved through a  
negotiated political settlement1 and    
,congress calls on all parties to the   
conflict in ,syria to participate       
urgently and constructively in the      
,geneva process3 ,now1 therefore1 be it 
#a4 ,limitation on use of ,united       
,states ,armed ,forces ,the ,president  
is authorized to use the ,united ,states
 ,armed ,forces with respect to ,syria  
only if the ,president makes available  
to the ,speaker of the ,house of        
,representatives and the ,president pro 
tempore of the ,senate the ,president's 
determination1 not later than the date  
that is #ad days after the date of the  
enactment of a joint resolution         
specifically authorizing such use of the
 ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 that-- 

7#a7 the ,assad regime has not agreed to
 surrender its chemical weapons         
stockpiles to the international         
community to be dismantled as part of a 
verifiable1 enforceable agreement2 and  
7#b7 the ,assad regime has not agreed to
 become a signatory to the ,convention  
on the ,prohibition of the ,development1
 ,production1 ,stockpiling and use of   
,chemical ,weapons and on their         
,destruction1 done at ,paris ,january   
#ac1 #aiic4