Clinton meets Syrian activists as US considers new sanctions

The meeting came amid mounting calls at the United Nations and in Congress for action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, which has intensified the months-old crackdown despite growing international condemnation.

Clinton sat down at the State Department with Syrian-Americans who support the push for democracy inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab Middle East this year. The closed-door meeting was meant to show solidarity with the opposition and express sympathy for those killed, which rights groups now say number nearly 100 since Sunday, the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Syrian troops on Tuesday tightened their grip on the city of Hama, an opposition stronghold, sending residents fleeing.

In a statement released after the meeting, Clinton said she had expressed “profound sympathy for all Syrian victims of the Assad regime's abuse of its own citizens” and assured the activists that the administration was pursuing additional sanctions against the government.

“The United States is working to move forward with additional targeted sanctions under existing authorities,” she said. “We are exploring broader sanctions that will isolate the Assad regime politically and deny it revenue with which to sustain its brutality.”

Clinton assured them of U.S. support. “We have nothing invested in the continuation of a regime that must kill, imprison and torture its own citizens to maintain power,” she said.

But there is little the U.S. is willing or able to do, beyond such demonstrations of support to the opposition and financial restrictions and other arms-length punishment to the Assad inner circle.

The administration has no inclination to use military force in Syria, a position underscored on Tuesday in Baghdad by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen. “There's no indication whatsoever that the Americans, that we would get involved directly with respect to this,” he said.

“I think politically and diplomatically we want to bring as much pressure as we possibly can to affect the change that so many countries are calling for,” Mullen said.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday called the violence “outrageous” and Clinton called on the Assad regime to “stop the slaughter” of its own citizens. Clinton also urged the U.N. Security Council to act and implored council members who have opposed action to reconsider their positions.

Clinton said the need for a strong U.N. response was clear given the growing evidence that the Assad regime is prepared to use disproportionate and extraordinary violence against civilians. “Our view remains that strong action by the Security Council on the targeting of innocent civilians in Syria is long overdue,” she said, urging opponents to reconsider their stances.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email