The day after the Syrian government killed hundreds of citizens through shelling and other violence in Homs, President Barack Obama released a statement requesting that “the Assad regime must come to an end.”
Bashir Al Assad has been the President of Syria since 2000, when his father’s rule ended after his death.
The president referred to Mr. al-Assad’s father in his statement as well, comparing each of their regimes and their violence against citizens in Syria. On Friday, citizens across Syria gathered in peaceful protests to commemorate the killings in the Hama massacre from 30 years ago, and also to show their opposition to Mr. al-Assad.
In 1982, the Syrian army conducted a “scorched earth” operation with orders from then president Hafez al-Assad, to suppress a Sunni muslim revolt against his regime. Thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed during the operation.
Mr. Obama’s statement released Saturday was aimed at calling for stronger action against Syria from the United Nations, and to let the “people” of Syria know that the U.S. is behind their calls for political reforms.
“I strongly condemn the Syrian government’s unspeakable assault against the people of Homs and I offer my deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones,” said Mr. Obama in the statement. ”Assad must halt his campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now. He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately.”
Since January of last year, Syrian authorities have seen an increase of protests throughout the nation by citizens essentially calling for an end to the al-Assad regime.
The president supports their calls for the overhaul as he noted Saturday.
“Earlier this week, our Arab partners called on UN Security Council members to take action to support a political solution to the crisis in Syria and stop Assad’s ‘killing machine,’” said Mr. Obama. “The Council now has an opportunity to stand against the Assad regime’s relentless brutality and to demonstrate that it is a credible advocate for the universal rights that are written into the UN Charter.”
On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a decision by the U.N. Security Council to endorse the Arab League plan to have Mr. al-Assad give power to a deputy in his regime, with an eventual transition towards a democratic government.
Russia reportedly does not agree with the call for the regime change, because Syria is a major ally to them, and a major buyer of Russian weapons exports, Reuters reports.
President Obama released his reaction to the bloodshed in Syria prior to the U.N. decision, but he made it clear that the U.S. is behind any resolution that removes President al-Assad from power.
“The United States and our international partners support the Syrian people in achieving their aspirations and will continue to assist the Syrian people toward that goal,” said Mr. Obama. “The suffering citizens of Syria must know: we are with you, and the Assad regime must come to an end.”
