Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell released the following statement regarding recent reports of chemical attacks in Syria:

"Recent reports of chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians are appalling and must be condemned. Over two years ago, I joined President Obama and called for Assad to step down and I reiterate that call today. Foreign nations, including Russia and China, must cease immediately from their implicit and explicit support of the Syrian regime and join the larger international community in condemning these atrocities and facilitating a united response.

"The United Nations investigative team currently in Syria must be provided immediate and unrestricted access to the area where these attacks were reported in order to gather the necessary facts. The Syrian regime must dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles in order to prevent them from being used against the Syrian people."

Pascrell recently had Mona Yacoubian, Senior Adviser on the Middle East for the Stimson Center, and Andrew Tabler, Senior Fellow for the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute, on his monthly television program "To the Point" for a segment exploring the complexities and implications of U.S. intervention in the ongoing conflict in Syria.  A link to the full program follows.

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