Marcy Kaptur: “Last week I came to the floor and recommended that the Obama administration appoint a special envoy with a very broad…”

“Last week I came to the floor and recommended that the Obama administration appoint a special envoy with a very broad portfolio: dispatched to work on a diplomatic solution to the tragedy that is destroying Syria and unfolding in the Middle East, now having broad impact in greater Europe. I want to point out to those who are listening that the displacement crisis in the Middle East, centered in Syria, has consumed seven nations and propelled the largest refugee crisis Europe has faced since World War II. Already in Syria, over a quarter of a million people have been killed--civilians--and that is probably a low number. With over 12 million people displaced, Europe is being besieged by hundreds of thousands, legions, of the dispossessed. Meanwhile, it almost seems surreal that no effective diplomatic negotiation is underway that holds the prospect of leading to peace. I again ask the Obama administration to dispatch a special envoy with a broad portfolio to work full time on a diplomatic solution to the tragedy that is destroying Syria. Then yesterday in The New York Times appeared an editorial by the legendary 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, entitled ``A Plan to End the Syrian Crisis.'' I served President Carter during his years in the Presidency.…”