Clinton Says 'No Going Back' in Syria
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday urged a transition to democracy in Syria, saying in a commentary in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that the regime crackdown would not quell the momentum for change.
In an English translation provided by the State Department, Clinton wrote under the headline "There Is No Going Back in Syria" that it was "increasingly clear" the crackdown was an irreversible shift in the country's push towards reform.
The Syrian regime's "continued brutality may allow (President Bashar Assad) to delay the change that is under way in Syria, it will not reverse it," Clinton wrote in daily that is published in London.
"The most important question of all -- what does this mean for Syria’s future? -- is increasingly clear: There is no going back."
The top U.S. diplomat rejected Syrian government claims that the protests were largely the work of foreign forces.
The Syrian people, she wrote, "are demanding their long-denied universal rights and rejecting a government that rules through fear, squanders their talents through corruption, and denies them the dignity of having a voice in their own future."
More than 1,200 people have died and some 10,000 have been detained in Syria since the mid-March eruption of pro-democracy protests inspired by the uprisings that toppled long-standing rulers in Egypt and Tunisia.
Assad's actions have "shattered his claims to be a reformer," Clinton wrote, criticizing the Syrian leader for following the example of repression set in Iran.
A senior U.S. administration official said Friday that the United States was studying whether war crimes charges could be brought against Syria to pressure its regime to end a bloody crackdown on dissent.
Two administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined the campaign in a teleconference with reporters, stressing that efforts were being made at the United Nations and with partners in the region to condemn and isolate the regime.
The official said other measures, including sanctions targeting the country's oil and gas sector, were being considered as part of a broader diplomatic campaign to increase pressure on Assad.
"Syria is headed toward a new political order -- and the Syrian people should be the ones to shape it," Clinton wrote, noting that Washington "chooses to stand with the Syrian people and their universal rights."
President Barack Obama has previously called on Assad to either lead a transition to democratic rule or "get out of the way," though he has come under fire from some in Congress for not taking a tougher stance.
almost 13 years
When the things arrive to one point where can not be accepted what them continued, because letting it, they will get worse, acting in this way, is the single way how to solve them,NEITHER ONE STEP BACK
almost 13 years
I think President Obama made a vow not too long ago... "America will stand squarely on the side of those reaching for their rights." Let's give America a chance to live up to that vow. In addition, the U.S. has recently conceded to its history of hypocritical support to tyrannical regimes in the Middle East in the cause of their own economic interests.
More importantly... please don't mislead yourself or others by purporting that Assad's continued existence in Syria has any relation to his policies on Iran/Hizbullah. It is common knowledge that the Assad's have long been implicit in maintaining mutual security policies with Israel for generations now. The only ppl lobbying to keep Assad in power in the U.S. are the Israelies themselves (they have been lobbying for them for 2 generations now).
The Syrian people will choose his fate. For the sake of posterity he should heed the call of the ppl instead of oppressing them.
Lastly he is a poor muslim.
almost 13 years
@ thisisgonnabesomuchfun: your freedom hero Obama has already proven his hypocrisy and double standard in Bahrain and Yemen. Don't take me wrong, I like the guy, and I believe the USA will never have a better president when it comes to foreign policy; nevertheless, hypocrisy and politics are almost synonymous, and as we all know any president of the US will be doing what is in the interest in the US, or at least what Congress and the "establishment" define as in the interest of the US. So in the particular case of Syria, the U.S. position is driven by what would be in the best interest of Israel, which would be to remove Syria from the Iran-Hizbullah circle. Any one thinking that the US is supporting freedom for the people of Syria is having illusion. And the most naive of all are those who think that the US pressure on Assad is to help the opposition in Lebanon.
almost 13 years
I wish you would treat the terrorist state israel close as you treat Assad. There should have also been "no going back" there every day of every year for the past 63 years. Yet you do just the opposite there. You have even twisted the truth about it.
No going back until Assad changes his policy on Hizbullah and Iran. If that happens, Assad will be one of the best leaders in the middle-east-- almost as democratic as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the rest. At which point, to hell with the freedom seekers and those who died. Right Mrs. Clinton?