January 31: Kaptur Condemns Assad,Urges Tougher Sanctions on Syria
"President Assad has killed thousands of innocent people, including hundreds of children, in a desperate attempt to retain power. It is time for him to step aside," Kaptur said.
"President Assad stands on the wrong side of history. I agree with Secretary of State Clinton when she said to the Syria people: 'We stand with you.' "
"There is a wave of change sweeping across the Middle East that holds the possibility of more open societies. America should stand with those who at grave risk to themselves
are standing up to repression and tyranny."
Kaptur said the ongoing repression by the Assad dictatorship threatens regional stability, including the state of Lebanon. She said Assad has lied repeatedly and no longer enjoys sufficient support to remain in power. The Arab League, she noted, withdrew its observers and abandoned its peace mission due to ongoing violence by the Assad government.
Kaptur said she supports President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton as they seek stronger sanctions against the Assad regime in order to facilitate a transition to democracy.
Assad, she said, is clinging to support from Russia and China in order to maintain his increasingly tenuous grip on power.
Read Secretary Clinton's statement below.
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Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 30, 2012
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the escalation of the Syrian regime's violent and brutal attacks on its own people. In the past few days we have seen intensified Syrian security operations all around the country which have killed hundreds of civilians. The government has shelled civilian areas with mortars and tank fire and brought down whole buildings on top of their occupants. The violence has escalated to the point that the Arab League has had to suspend its monitoring mission. The regime has failed to meet its commitments to the Arab League to halt its acts of violence, withdraw its military forces from residential areas, allow journalists and monitors to operate freely and release prisoners arrested because of the current unrest.
The Security Council must act and make clear to the Syrian regime that the world community views its actions as a threat to peace and security. The violence must end, so that a new period of democratic transition can begin.
Tomorrow, I will attend a United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria where the international community should send a clear message of support to the Syrian people: we stand with you. The Arab League is backing a resolution that calls on the international community to support its ongoing efforts, because the status quo is unsustainable. The longer the Assad regime continues its attacks on the Syrian people and stands in the way of a peaceful transition, the greater the concern that instability will escalate and spill over throughout the region.