Sanctions call as top Syrian general defects
Source: Agencies |
July 7, 2012, Saturday
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THE United States and its allies yesterday called for new, global sanctions against President Bashar Assad's government, stepping up the pressure after the defection of a top general dealt a major blow to the Syrian leader.
Washington urged countries around the world to demand Russia and China force Assad to leave power.
Syrian Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a member of the elite Republican Guards and a son of a former defense minister, abandoned Assad's government, according to Western officials.
It was the highest profile departure in 16 months of bloodshed that activists say has killed more than 14,000 people.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tlass had defected and was en route to France, where he has a sister and where world diplomats met yesterday to bolster the Syrian opposition. Later, Fabius backtracked, saying he was not sure of Tlass's final destination.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined senior officials from about 100 other countries in Paris to win wider support for a Syrian transition plan unveiled last week by United Nations mediator Kofi Annan. Joined by America's allies, she called for "real and immediate consequences for non-compliance, including sanctions," against the Assad government.
China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, didn't attend the Paris meeting.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the one-sided purpose of the forum, saying it only sought to back the "external" opposition, which would raise confrontation instead of creating a platform for the all-Syrian dialogue without outside intervention, Xinhua news agency reported.
In Paris, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We don't rule out any option for the future because it is deteriorating. It is a very grave situation. It is a murdering regime, so we want to see a peaceful transition. But we are not ruling anything out."
Diplomats urged the fractured Syrian opposition to unite.
Several rounds of international sanctions so far have done little to stop the bloodshed. This time the US is hoping for sanctions with more of an impact.
Syrian rebels, however, say sanctions aren't working and want quick military action.
New violence in Syria led many activists to dismiss the importance of the Paris meeting. Anti-government activists say Syrian forces killed at least 25 people, arrested scores more and torched dozens of homes while seizing the northern city of Khan Sheikhoun.
In Paris, Syria's opposition National Council called for a no-fly zone to prevent military forces from "flying over defecting soldiers and civilians and bombarding them."
But military intervention is not on the immediate horizon. US officials say they are focusing on economic pressure, and the Obama administration says it won't intervene militarily or provide weapons to the rebels.
Washington urged countries around the world to demand Russia and China force Assad to leave power.
Syrian Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a member of the elite Republican Guards and a son of a former defense minister, abandoned Assad's government, according to Western officials.
It was the highest profile departure in 16 months of bloodshed that activists say has killed more than 14,000 people.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tlass had defected and was en route to France, where he has a sister and where world diplomats met yesterday to bolster the Syrian opposition. Later, Fabius backtracked, saying he was not sure of Tlass's final destination.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined senior officials from about 100 other countries in Paris to win wider support for a Syrian transition plan unveiled last week by United Nations mediator Kofi Annan. Joined by America's allies, she called for "real and immediate consequences for non-compliance, including sanctions," against the Assad government.
China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, didn't attend the Paris meeting.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the one-sided purpose of the forum, saying it only sought to back the "external" opposition, which would raise confrontation instead of creating a platform for the all-Syrian dialogue without outside intervention, Xinhua news agency reported.
In Paris, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We don't rule out any option for the future because it is deteriorating. It is a very grave situation. It is a murdering regime, so we want to see a peaceful transition. But we are not ruling anything out."
Diplomats urged the fractured Syrian opposition to unite.
Several rounds of international sanctions so far have done little to stop the bloodshed. This time the US is hoping for sanctions with more of an impact.
Syrian rebels, however, say sanctions aren't working and want quick military action.
New violence in Syria led many activists to dismiss the importance of the Paris meeting. Anti-government activists say Syrian forces killed at least 25 people, arrested scores more and torched dozens of homes while seizing the northern city of Khan Sheikhoun.
In Paris, Syria's opposition National Council called for a no-fly zone to prevent military forces from "flying over defecting soldiers and civilians and bombarding them."
But military intervention is not on the immediate horizon. US officials say they are focusing on economic pressure, and the Obama administration says it won't intervene militarily or provide weapons to the rebels.
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