Clinton Says Call for Assad Departure Must Come from 'Around the World'
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asked why Washington has not yet explicitly called for the Syrian president’s departure, said Thursday her country wanted such a call to come from “around the world,” not just from the White House.
“What we really need to do to put the pressure on Assad is to sanction the oil and gas industry. And we want to see Europe take more steps in that direction. And we want to see China take steps with us,” Clinton added in an interview with CBS News.
She also urged Russia to “cease selling arms to the Assad regime."
"The United States is looking to explicitly call for Assad to step down. The timing of that is still in question," a U.S. official earlier told Agence France Presse on the condition of anonymity, while another U.S. official said the call could come as early as Thursday.
Ignoring the international outrage, Assad pledged this week a relentless battle against "terrorist groups" Damascus says are fomenting a popular uprising across Syria.
Rights groups say more than 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown on the protest movement, which first erupted in mid-March with calls for reform before demanding the fall of the regime over its bloody repression.
Source: Agence France Presse
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