Stalled negotiations

The UN Security Council remained divided on Tuesday over a draft resolution condemning the ongoing violence in Syria, as President Bashar al-Assad's security forces continued to shell the hard-hit city of Hama.

Human rights activists claim that at least 27 civilians died during the government crackdown on Monday and Tuesday, including 13 in Hama. That would bring the total to around 137 dead in the past three days, 93 of them in Hama - the site where the Syrian government crushed an uprising in 1982, killing 20,000 people.

Germany had called the closed-door Security Council meeting in order to address the violence that began on Sunday and sought to revive a resolution with Britain, France and Portugal condemning the violence which has killed 1,600 people since anti-government protests began.

Russia has called for a more balanced text that would condemn both the government and the opposition for the violence. The council members have been unable to decide whether the text should be formulated as a resolution or a council statement, which carries less significance.

"Unfortunately, no final agreement is possible today among Security Council members," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. "The required balance has not been achieved."

Both China and Russia have threatened to use their veto power to sink a resolution that is worded too strongly out of concern that it could lead to a western intervention as in Libya.

India's UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, who took over the council's presidency from Germany on Monday, said opposition within the 15-member body had complicated efforts to end the violence.

"Therefore, some ways have to be found and then go down for a vote," Puri said. "The council should send a message to calm down the situation and not exacerbate it."

Calls for tighter US sanctions

US lawmakers have called on Washington to sharpen its sanctions against al-Assad's regime in light of the recent violence.

"The United States should impose crippling sanctions in response to the murder of civilians by troops under the orders of President Assad," US Republican Senator Mark Kirk said after introducing legislation to target firms that invest in Syria's energy sector.

The new round of sanctions was also sponsored by Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and independent Senator Joe Lieberman, who said it was time to push for "a democratic transition that reflects the will of the Syrian people."

While members of Congress pushed for new sanctions, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Syrian dissidents who are calling for more support from the Obama administration

"We really need to see President Obama addressing the courage of the Syrian people," said Mohammad Alabdalla, one of the US-based activists who met with Clinton.

"We want to hear it loudly and clearly that Assad has to step down," he said.

The United States has already imposed sanctions against President Assad and members of his inner circle. The EU further tightened its sanctions on Monday, adding five names to its list of blacklisted Syrian officials.

Author: Spencer Kimball (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
Editor: Catherine Bolsover