SYRIA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2014 CDS Applauds House and Senate Votes in Support of Moderate Syrian Opposition Washington DC - The Coalition for a Democratic Syria (CDS), a coalition representing over 100,000 Syrian Americans, applauds the votes in the House of Representatives and Senate, authorizing training and equipping of vetted Syrian opposition groups. The amendment to H.J.Res.124 was approved Wednesday in the House, by a vote of 273-156, and yesterday in the Senate, by a vote of 78-22. The amendment authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition. The full text of the amendment is available here. After President Obamas speech on September 10, in which he identified the Syrian opposition as the only antidote to both the oppression of the Assad regime and the terror of ISIS, the CDS urged Congress to insert the authorization to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition into the Continuing Resolution H.J.Res.124. CDS organized numerous meetings to brief House and Senate members on the situation on the ground and to express support for the train and equip program. We applaud Congresss authorization for the training and equipping of moderate Syrian opposition forces, who will fight for democracy and freedom for the Syrian people from the terror of ISIS and Assad, said Muna Jondy, Government Relations Chair of the Coalition for a Democratic Syria. This program, if enacted properly, will significantly degrade the capabilities of ISIS, and has the potential to protect thousands of Syrians from the threats they face on a daily basis, especially as Aleppo has come under siege by both the regime and ISIS. We are happy to have the moderate Syrian opposition viewed as the legitimate partner for the United States in the fight against this terror. The Syrian opposition has been fighting a two-front war against Assad forces and ISIS for over nine months. In January, anti-Assad Syrians held mass protests and an armed uprising to expel ISIS from northwestern Syria. In July, after the fall of Mosul, rebels also expelled ISIS from the Damascus suburbs. Over the past month, Syrian opposition fighters have fought ISIS to a standstill outside Aleppo City, despite ISIS possession of superior equipment. Opponents of Assad near the Syrian-Iraqi border have also mounted a protest campaign and guerrilla war against ISIS. # # # The Coalition for a Democratic Syria is a group of Syrian-American non-profit organizations working together to bring about a swift end to the conflict and support the establishment of peace, freedom, and democracy in Syria. The CDS is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, non-partisan organization. The CDS includes: Syrian Emergency Task Force, United for Free Syria, Syrian American Council, Syrian Christians for Peace, and the Association of Free Syrians.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:42:01 +0000
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