,,iii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #de ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ah 7legislative day1 ,december #af71 #bjbd,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,affirming the nature and importance of the support of the ,united ,states for ,syria4 ,whereas1 in ,december #bjbd1 following decades of pressure and sacrifice by the ,syrian people and from international condemnation1 the al ,assad family's era of heinous war crimes and authoritarian rule ended and ,bashar ,assad fled to ,moscow1 where ,putin granted him political asylum2 ,whereas1 as a result of the opportunity his departure has presented to the ,syrian people1 the ,united ,states reaffirms its support to all the ,syrian people1 and urges an inclusive and peaceful transition by ,syrians1 for ,syria4 ,whereas national1 ethnic1 religious1 and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples1 including ,alawites1 ,armenians1 ,druze1 ,yezidis1 ,kurds1 ,shabak1 ,turkmen1 and historic ,christian communities 7including ,chaldean1 ,syriac1 ,assyrian1 and ,melkite peoples7 among others1 have been integral components of the long cultural lineage of ,syria2 ,whereas these same religious and ethnic minorities have made1 and continue to make1 invaluable and significant contributions to the social1 economic1 and political fabric of societies across the ,middle ,east and the world1 including the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,islamic ,state of ,iraq and ,syria 7referred to in this preamble as ,,isis7 is responsible for carrying out a brutal campaign of violence against members of all faiths in ,syria and ,iraq2 ,whereas ethnic and religious minorities were subjected to innumerable atrocities by ,,isis1 including forced religious conversion1 kidnapping1 slavery1 human trafficking1 unlawful forced displacement1 ethnic cleansing1 torture1 sexual violence1 and sex trafficking1 among other crimes2 ,whereas the ,secretary of ,state declared on ,march #ag1 #bjaf1 and on ,august #ae1 #bjag1 that ,,isis is responsible for genocide1 crimes against humanity1 and other atrocities against religious and ethnic minority groups in ,syria and ,iraq1 including ,shia ,muslims1 ,christians1 and ,yezidis1 among other religious and ethnic groups2 ,whereas the ,iraq and ,syria ,genocide ,relief and ,accountability ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-cjj7 affirms that it is the policy of the ,united ,states to ensure that assistance for religious and ethnic minorities is directed towards those who-- 7#a7 have the greatest need1 including minorities who the ,secretary of ,state declared were targeted for genocide1 crimes against humanity1 or war crimes2 and 7#b7 have been identified as being at risk of persecution1 forced migration1 genocide1 crimes against humanity1 or war crimes2 ,whereas members of these religious and ethnic minority communities continue to face daily insecurity1 discrimination1 hardship1 and violence from state and non-state actors2 ,whereas ,syrian opposition forces have repeatedly signaled their intent to respect the rights and dignity of religious and ethnic minorities in ,syria1 but there have been incidents of members of such minorities fleeing their homes while there is documented violence and expulsions against ,kurdish communities by elements of the ,syrian ,national ,army2 ,whereas the restoration and stabilization of all regions of ,syria will provide an opportunity for its longstanding diverse ethnic and religious communities to flourish2 ,whereas the ,syrian ,democratic ,forces 7referred to in this preamble as the ,,sdf7 has been a critical partner to ,united ,states and allied counter-,,isis and broader counterterrorism efforts in ,syria1 and the ,united ,states should continue to support and partner with the ,,sdf2 ,whereas the ,,sdf has played a critical role in securing and maintaining ,,isis detention facilities and ensuring that ,,isis terrorists do not pose a renewed threat to the region or ,united ,states allies or partners2 ,whereas the search continues for ,austin ,bennett ,tice1 an ,american journalist1 who was kidnapped in ,syria on ,august #ad1 #bjab2 and ,whereas the ,syrian ,democratic ,council-- 7#a7 serves as the civil administration for much of northeast ,syria2 and 7#b7 has provided critical public services and maintained civilian infrastructure in that region throughout the ,syrian conflict3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that ,congress-- 7#a7 commits to protecting and upholding the internationally recognized human rights of members of all religious and ethnic minority communities in ,syria2 7#b7 calls for an inclusive and peaceful political transition process in ,syria that preserves and protects the rights and livelihoods of all ,syria communities1 including its religious and ethnic minority communities2 7#c7 supports the preservation1 documentation1 and restoration of-- 7,a7 religious and cultural heritage sites in ,syria2 and 7,b7 community buildings of religious and ethnic minority communities in the region2 7#d7 calls upon all state and non-state actors-- 7,a7 to cease any and all support for1 or commission of1 all current violence in ,syria2 and 7,b7 to refrain from future violence and acts of reprisal or repression against all ,syrians1 including religious and ethnic minority communities in ,syria2 7#e7 encourages the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development-- 7,a7 to advocate for the protection of religious and ethnic minorities in ,syria2 and 7,b7 to engage in appropriate steps1 including targeted sanctions relief and development programming to support humanitarian needs1 development1 and reconstruction in ,syria1 including in religious and ethnic minority communities2 and 7#f7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to finding and securing the release of ,austin ,tice4