Roughly a month and a half ago I contacted U.S. House Representative Gary Peters regarding the Syrian crisis, mostly asking what his position was. At the time President Obama was urging Congress to take military action due to the use of chemical weapons.
Here is a copy of an email he sent in response on October 29, 2013.
October 29, 2013
Dear Gregory,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the ongoing armed conflict in Syria. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to express your views on this important matter. Your input is, and will always be, welcomed and appreciated.
For over two years, Syrian forces led by President Bashar al-Assad have engaged in an ongoing armed conflict with anti-government rebels. According to recent United Nations estimates more than 100,000 have been killed - a majority of them have been civilians. In addition, on August 21, 2013, more than 1,400 people - including 429 children - were killed in a chemical weapons attack near Damascus. Although President Assad has not claimed responsibility for the recent chemical attacks, reports from U.S. intelligence strongly indicates Syrian government forces are responsible for this attack.
On September 10, 2013, following a robust diplomatic response from the United States and its allies and under the threat of military action, Syria's foreign minister announced that Syria would agree to give up its chemical weapons stockpiles. While this plan is not yet final, I believe any solution must include sufficient oversight and enforcement measures to ensure Syria lives up to their end of the agreement.
The threat of military action against Syria played an important role in this diplomatic process, and as a former naval officer, I take the responsibility to send American men and women into a military operation very seriously. I am hopeful there will be a diplomatic resolution to this conflict; however, should any legislation impacting the situation in Syria come to the House floor for a vote, I will certainly keep your views in mind.
I would like to thank you again for contacting me. I always enjoy hearing from constituents and hope that you take the time to contact me again soon. For more information, please feel free to visit my website, http://www.peters.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Gary C. Peters
Member of Congress
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