Obama calls out Syrian President al-Assad

Multiple world leaders are calling for Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad to step down. The anticipated move comes as a series of bloody crackdowns by the Syrian government made international headlines. President Barack Obama led the call in a written statement today in which he said, "The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way. He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside." Leaders of several other nations, including Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the European Union have echoed Obama's remarks. 

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Syria has been mired in the wave of Arab unrest known by many as, "The Arab Spring" a series of pro-democracy uprisings that have topped governments in Egypt and Libya and shook several others. While the conflict in Syria does not appear to be as bloody as the revolution in Libya, it is different in that most of the victims are civilians rather than rebel fighters. It is this brutal repression of civilian protests that has world leaders calling for al-Assad's resignation. Other countries are expected to join the call for Assad to quit in the days to come.

Syria, a longtime ally of Iran, has faced increasing pressure from the United States. Limited economic sanctions have already been imposed and new ones have been leveled as Syrian government assets in the united States were frozen on Thursday. Americans have also been barred from making new investments in Syria, and transactions involving Syrian petroleum have also been prohibited. Despite the sanctions, US concern is for the people of Syria.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that the sanctions would be carefully crafted to protect the Syrian people while increasing pressure of the government. She said, "[We] will take steps to mitigate any unintended effects of the sanctions on the Syrian people. "These actions strike at the heart of the regime," she added.
 
American officials have been meeting with Syrian opposition leaders, so the most recent call for al-Assad to step down comes as little surprise. Other countries with close ties to Syria, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been consulted as the US steps us pressure for al-Assad's removal.

In the event violence against the Syrian people continues, the possibility of a NATO mission to protect civilians has been discussed, but no definitive plans to do so have been announced at this time.

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