Washington: The United States stepped up calls for a global trade embargo on oil and gas from the Middle East nation, warning even some of America's closest allies that they must "get on the right side of history" and cut links with a government that uses violence to repress protesters and will not reform.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said international opinion was hardening against President Bashar Assad, noting a "crescendo of condemnation" from world powers and Syria's Arab neighbors. But she said tougher action was required, too.
"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," Clinton said.
Assad, she said, "has lost the legitimacy to lead and it is clear that Syria would be better off without him." She stopped short of an explicit call for Assad to leave power, which the White House has been planning.
A US official said the demand will happen "sooner rather than later," though the hesitation reflects some concern in the administration about adopting a more aggressive tone without adequate support from European allies and Arab partners.
Another factor has been Turkey, a key NATO ally that neighbours Syria, whose foreign minister visited Damascus this week. Its government has expressed fears about further destabilising Syria and prompting massive refugee flows across its border in repeated conversations and a telephone call on Thursday between President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, according to officials.
They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. US officials have been trying for weeks to rally international pressure against the Syrian government, mindful that US sanctions and other measures to isolate Assad have had limited effect.
The United States already severely limits trade and economic ties with Syria, leaving it little leverage with a leader who has aligned himself with US archrival Iran and rebuffed the administration's engagement efforts.
The strategy has been to lean on governments, such as those in Europe, to enact tougher punishments on individuals and companies close to Assad so that pressure mounts for a halt to the violence. Activists say more than 1,700 people have been killed in five months of unrest.
Clinton didn't mention countries by name. But in an interview Thursday with CBS, she called for European governments to sanction Syria's oil and gas industry, and said India and China should re-evaluate their energy investments in the country. She also said Russia should stop selling weapons to Assad.
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