Israel Matzav

Obama turns down request for support from Syrian rebels

“The White House has to date rejected our requests for stronger action on Syria,” Ammar Abdulhamid, an unofficial spokesman in the West for the Syrian activists organizing the widespread demonstrations, told The Washington Times.

Major protests have been called throughout Syria for Friday. On Thursday, Mr. Assad announced a new Cabinet and released some political prisoners in an attempt to head off more demonstrations.

In the past two weeks, National Security Council staff have held two meetings with Western representatives of the organizers of the Syrian demonstrations, the most sustained civil disobedience movement in Syria since Mr. Assad’s father, Hafez Assad, seized power in a 1966 military coup.

The movement in Syria, much like the Web-organized protests in Tunisia and Egypt before it, is leaderless and relies on local committees throughout the country that coordinate activities through Facebook and other social media.

Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said, “The National Security Council staff meet with stakeholders from a host of countries, including Syria, all the time. We get recommendations from these meetings and we take them under advisement.”

In the White House meetings, the opposition representatives have asked for President Obama personally to condemn the Assad regime on camera. They also called for the United States to impose sanctions on regime officials who ordered the military to fire on the crowds and for the United States to support a separate resolution against Syria at an April 27 session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

“President Obama has not personally condemned the regime. The White House has not yet issued sanctions against officials who ordered soldiers to fire on peaceful demonstrators. The White House will not say whether they will pursue a Syria specific resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council,” Mr. Abdulhamid said.

The White House on April 8 issued a written statement from Mr. Obama that said, “It is time for the Syrian government to stop repressing its citizens and to listen to the voices of the Syrian people calling for meaningful political and economic reforms.”

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David Schenker, director of the Arab politics program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Mr. Obama has straddled the fence on Syria in the past month.

“This administration does not want to be seen right now as joining the movement for regime removal in Damascus,” he said.

“Nevertheless the atrocities are mounting. It is clear now that Assad will continue to repress violent protests on Friday. The administration should move ahead with the last of the Syria Accountability Act sanctions which would be to suspend all U.S. investment in Syria.”

Daniel Calingaert, the deputy director for programs at Freedom House, said, “It’s about time that the United States introduced targeted sanctions on the Syrian officials who are killing civilians and ordering those attacks.

“The United States should also push for the United Nations to investigate the abuses in Syria in a single resolution.”

Labels: Barack Obama, Syrian regime change

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:51 PM