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08-12-11, 02:50 AM
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for wider international sanctions on Syria as the government's violent crackdown on dissent continues.
Mrs Clinton said China and India in particular could increase pressure because of their energy investments.
She said the US did not want to call for Mr Assad to stand down without getting the backing of other countries.
Activists say the army killed at least 24 people on Thursday and new protests flared after dawn prayers on Friday.
More than 1,700 people have died and tens of thousands of people have reportedly been arrested since the uprising against the the 41-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad's family began in March.
This week, Washington added to its existing sanctions on Syria by including its main commercial bank and mobile phone company, and warned that more could follow.
But in an interview with CBS News, (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/11/eveningnews/main20091444.shtml) Mrs Clinton said other countries also needed to exercise their influence over the regime.
"What we really need to do to put the pressure on Assad is to sanction the oil and gas industry," she said, citing Europe, China and India as powers with energy investments in Syria and adding that the US also wanted Russia to stop selling arms to the Assad regime.
When asked why Washington has not called yet outright for Mr Assad to stand down, Mrs Clinton said the US was focusing on "building the chorus of international condemnation".
After talks on Thursday, US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated their "deep concern" about the use of violence against civilians.
"The Syrian people's legitimate demands for a transition to democracy should be met," they said in a joint statement.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says there were more protests in Syria after dawn prayers on Friday, with activists reporting one person shot dead and others wounded in the Damascus suburb of Saqba.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/54522000/gif/_54522570_syria_idlib_hama_0811.gif
SOURCE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14501370)
12 August 2011 Last updated at 06:10 GMT
Mrs Clinton said China and India in particular could increase pressure because of their energy investments.
She said the US did not want to call for Mr Assad to stand down without getting the backing of other countries.
Activists say the army killed at least 24 people on Thursday and new protests flared after dawn prayers on Friday.
More than 1,700 people have died and tens of thousands of people have reportedly been arrested since the uprising against the the 41-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad's family began in March.
This week, Washington added to its existing sanctions on Syria by including its main commercial bank and mobile phone company, and warned that more could follow.
But in an interview with CBS News, (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/11/eveningnews/main20091444.shtml) Mrs Clinton said other countries also needed to exercise their influence over the regime.
"What we really need to do to put the pressure on Assad is to sanction the oil and gas industry," she said, citing Europe, China and India as powers with energy investments in Syria and adding that the US also wanted Russia to stop selling arms to the Assad regime.
When asked why Washington has not called yet outright for Mr Assad to stand down, Mrs Clinton said the US was focusing on "building the chorus of international condemnation".
After talks on Thursday, US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated their "deep concern" about the use of violence against civilians.
"The Syrian people's legitimate demands for a transition to democracy should be met," they said in a joint statement.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says there were more protests in Syria after dawn prayers on Friday, with activists reporting one person shot dead and others wounded in the Damascus suburb of Saqba.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/54522000/gif/_54522570_syria_idlib_hama_0811.gif
SOURCE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14501370)
12 August 2011 Last updated at 06:10 GMT