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Hillary Clinton calls on world to cut business ties with Syria

Other News Materials 13 August 2011 02:48 (UTC +04:00)
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday called on countries still doing business with Syria to cut ties with Damascus and "get on the right side of history."
Hillary Clinton calls on world to cut business ties with Syria

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday called on countries still doing business with Syria to cut ties with Damascus and "get on the right side of history", DPA reported

Clinton called for tougher action against Syria to match growing condemnation of President Bashar al-Assad.

"We urge those countries still buying Syrian oil and gas, those countries still sending Assad weapons, those countries whose political and economic support give him comfort in his brutality, to get on the right side of history," she said in remarks following a meeting in Washington with her Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Stoere.

"President Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, and it is clear that Syria would be better off without him."

Clinton stopped short however of calling directly for Assad to step down.

"We are watching the growing crescendo of condemnation that I referenced, and I don't think you should assume anything other than we're trying and succeeding at putting together an international effort so that there will not be any temptation on the part of anyone inside the Assad regime to claim that it's only the United States or maybe it's only the West," she said when asked about the US position. "Indeed, it's the entire world."

Reports had indicated this week that President Barack Obama might make such a statement soon, but the US has for weeks said the Syrian leader has lost legitimacy but have not called directly for his ouster.

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