Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) released the following statement today on the Geneva Syria talks and the upcoming London Donors’ Conference:

“The Syrian High Negotiating Committee represents the long-silenced voice of the Syrian people, and it deserves our full and unqualified support.  This crisis has cost far too many innocent lives.  Until the Assad regime and the Russian government stop bombarding markets, schools and hospitals and allow for critical humanitarian aid to reach the Syrian people, it is hard to see how any talks can be successful.  That’s why it’s so important Russia support implementation of the U.N. resolution – for which it voted – to achieve a ceasefire.  

“The United States and our allies must use next week’s Donors’ Conference in London to press this case forward, and discuss serious, substantive efforts to address the long-term needs of the millions forced from their homes by this bloody conflict.  The choices that are made this year will have lasting ramifications – for good or for ill.  Now is the time for nations – particularly those who have not been active – to step up, provide a hand to those suffering.  The United States is currently the largest donor to the Syrian people, having committed more than $4.5 billion since the revolution began.  We urge our partners around the world to follow suit and extend a lifeline to the orphans, widows, and wounded who want a future free from the murderous Assad regime and ISIS terrorists.”

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