Top Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives moved Tuesday to step up sanctions on Syria and encourage overthrow of that regime. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and four others introduced the Syria Accountability and Liberation Act, an update of the 2003 Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Liberation Act, which had the unanimous support of the House.The bill establishes a program "to support pro-democracy advocates and human rights dissidents in Syria toward transition to a government that does not pose a threat to the United States, our interests, and our allies," according to Ros-Lehtinen's office. The language is similar to that contained in the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which the Bush administration cited as part of its justification for and approval for the 2003 invasion. That bill established it as the "policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."
Many of the foreign fighters and Sunni insurgents in Iraq are believed by U.S. intelligence to use Syria as a safe harbor and transit point for funds, weapons and fighters. It is also a key destination for the smuggling of Iraqi oil. "Syria's state-sponsorship of Islamist terrorist organizations, including those conducting attacks in Iraq, its development of unconventional weapons capabilities, and brutal oppression of the Syrian people must be immediately addressed before it escalates to the level of threat posed by Iran today," said Ros-Lehtinen.