News

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement after a phone call with Dr. Riad Hijab, the General Coordinator of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee:

“I was pleased to once again speak with Dr. Riad Hijab, the General Coordinator of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee, and listen to his views regarding the appropriate way forward in Syria.  The Syrian people continue to suffer from the atrocities perpetrated by the Iran and Russia-backed Assad government.  They also have been victims of a failed U.S. policy.  For more than five years now, President Obama has stood idly by while the consequences of American disengagement have only grown to the extent that they now threaten Europe’s security as well as our own homeland.

“I reiterated to Dr. Hijab my view that no peace will be found in Syria until Bashar al-Assad is gone from power.  I agree with those within the State Department who have appealed to Secretary of State Kerry and President Obama to pursue a different path.  The time has come for us to tackle this problem head on once and for all.  Endless negotiations while innocent Syrians are starving and getting barrel bombed by some of the very parties at the negotiating table will never achieve the peace that the Syrian people deserve.  I urge President Obama to change course immediately.  The stakes for our security as well as our moral standing in the world are too high for us to allow this nightmare to continue.”