U.S. Says It's 'Past Time' for U.N. Action against Syria
The White House on Tuesday condemned the Syrian regime's unrelenting violence against protesters, saying it was "past time" for the U.N. Security Council to take actions against Damascus.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Syria had failed to comply with standards set by Arab observers monitoring the situation, adding that "as sniper fire, torture, and murder in Syria continue, it is clear that the requirements of the Arab League protocol have not been met."
He added that the moment had arrived for the international community to take measures against President Bashar al-Assad and his government.
"We believe it's past time for the Security Council to act," Carney said.
"We want to see the international community stand together united in support of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people," he said.
"We're working with our international partners to increase the pressure on the Assad regime to cease the completely unacceptable violence that it's been perpetrating on its own citizens."
Democracy activists have denounced the Arab League observer mission as "unprofessional," after the bloc's chief admitted snipers were still active in the country despite their presence.
The mission has been mired in controversy since the first observers arrived on December 26, with activists accusing Syria's regime of keeping the monitors on a short leash as it presses on with its lethal crackdown on dissent.
After weeks of stalling, Syria agreed last month to allow the deployment of observers as part of an Arab roadmap calling for the withdrawal of the military from cities and residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.
Despite the presence of the monitors, violence continued on the ground, with the Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, saying another 11 people were killed in various parts of the country on Monday.
For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 members of the security services died during clashes with army deserters in the southern city of Daraa.
The United Nations estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed in the crackdown since March.
Source: Agence France Presse
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