Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement regarding the  U.S.-Russia deal for a ceasefire in Syria:

“From the beginning, Putin has been driven by the goal of propping up the Assad regime.  Along with Iran and Hezbollah, that has meant the indiscriminate murder of countless innocent women and children.

“With Assad more secure, one can’t help but see this latest agreement as Russia’s attempt to gain information and intelligence about the way the U.S. military conducts operations.  That’s certainly the concern of our Secretary of Defense.

“Given the unlikelihood of success, I will continue to advocate for new bipartisan legislation to cut off the Assad regime’s access to the resources it uses to annihilate its own people.  This legislation will impose stiff new sanctions on Syrian human rights abuses and those – like Iran and Russia – who enable the regime’s atrocities.  It will ensure accountability for all those who’ve committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.”