Two Senior Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Condemn Syria's Re-admission to the Arab League

Senator Bob Menendez and Senator Jim Risch, the chair and senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the Arab League's decision to readmit Syria into the organization. The statement reads: "The decision by the Arab League foreign ministers to readmit Syria is the latest instance in the concerning trend of U.S. partners in the Middle East and North Africa normalizing relations with the Assad regime." The Senate Foreign Relations Committee emphasized in its statement: "Over 12 years of atrocities should be sufficient evidence that the Assad regime is a global rogue, and improving relations with this regime will send the wrong message to Iran and Russia, as Putin repeats the crimes he committed in Syria in Ukraine." The statement further stressed: "Arguments that normalizing relations with Assad somehow pushes Iran and Russia out of Syria are not convincing, as they are the main guarantors of Assad's survival." Senators Bob Menendez and Jim Risch continued in their statement by urging the Biden administration to oppose such efforts and to inform individuals and countries of the consequences of restoring relations with the Syrian regime and enforcing U.S. sanctions before the Arab League summit on May 19.