Congressman Steve Chabot responded today to violations of Lebanese sovereignty by the Assad regime in Syria. Congressman Chabot, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, condemned the Assad regime's actions and called for an end to their rule. See Congressman Chabot's full statement below.
I am appalled by reports of the kidnapping of Syrian dissidents in Lebanon by agents and allies of the Syrian regime. In a further violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, the Syrian army continues to enter Lebanese territory in clear violation of international law.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms these egregious violations of UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701 and urge the Government of Lebanon to take all necessary measures to protect its citizens, to secure its borders, and to protect Syrian refugees and dissidents who have fled the bloody Assad regime. These, along with support for and funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1757, are key Lebanese international legal obligations.
The bravery of security officials and elected representatives who speak out in the name of justice and in defense of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and state institutions should be applauded. These officials state clearly what so many know to be true, but are afraid to say publicly.
Those actions by the Syrian regime remove all doubt that the rule of the Assad family must end now. The Assad clan rules by bloody force, killing over 3,000 Syrian protesters and making its statements about "reform" into a mockery. Like the people of Lebanon with whose independence the Assads have interfered, Syrians will be far better off when the decades of Assad rule come to an end.