News Clinton Urges ‘friends of democratic Syria’ to Rally Against Assad after UN action blocked
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Sunday, 05 February 2012 22:08

Clinton Urges ‘friends of democratic Syria’ to Rally Against Assad after UN action blocked

Written by  Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodam Clinton speaks at press conference at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodam Clinton speaks at press conference at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday. Jim Watson | AP

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Sunday for “friends of democratic Syria” to unite and rally against President Bashar Assad’s regime, previewing the possible formation of a formal group of likeminded nations to coordinate assistance to the Syrian opposition.

Speaking in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia a day after Russia and China blocked U.N. Security Council action on Syria, Clinton said the international community had a duty to halt ongoing bloodshed and promote a political transition that would see Assad step down. She said the “friends of Syria” should work together to promote those ends.

Clinton was bluntly critical of Saturday’s veto by Russia and China at the United Nations blocking action against the continuing violence in Syria.

“What happened yesterday at the United Nations was a travesty,” she said.

“Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people’s right to have a better future,” Clinton told reporters after meeting top Bulgarian officials.

Such a group could be similar, but not identical, to the Contact Group on Libya, which oversaw international help for opponents of the late deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. However, in the case of Libya, the group also coordinated NATO military operations to protect Libyan civilians, something that is not envisioned in Syria.

Read complete article on The Washington Post

 

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