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Subscribe to RSSSpeaking at the U.N. Security Council US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says, "It is time for the international community to put aside our own differences and send a clear message of support to the people of Syria."
Updated at 1:35 p.m. ET Wednesday: Amnesty International urges Russia to stop its “unconscionable” obstruction of U.N. efforts to help end the bloodshed in Syria. “Russia’s threats to abort a binding U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria for the second time are utterly irresponsible. Russia bears a heavy responsibility for allowing the brutal crackdown on legitimate dissent in Syria to continue unchecked,” said José Luis Díaz, Amnesty International's representative to the U.N. in New York.
Updated at 4:45 p.m. ET: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the Security Council to adopt the Arab League plan for a political process to end the violence in Syria, saying it would be different from U.N. efforts to pacify Libya.
The Arab League plan calls for Syrian President Bashar Assad to transfer his powers to his deputy to prepare for elections.
"I know that some members here may be concerned that the Security Council is headed toward another Libya," she said. "That is a false analogy."
Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET: Western and Arab nations launched a major diplomatic offensive at the U.N. on Tuesday in hopes of overcoming Russia's opposition to a resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad relinquish power, The Associated Press reported.
Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images
Nabil Elaraby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, speaks at the U.N. in New York on Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the British and French foreign ministers traveled to New York for the afternoon Security Council session on the situation in Syria.
Nabil Elaraby, the chief of the Arab League, called on the Security Council to take 'rapid and decisive action' on Syria, Reuters reported
"Realizing the hopes of the Syrian people is in your hands," Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani told council members, asking them to adopt the resolution, based on the Arab League's peace plan for the country. "It is part of your responsibility under the (U.N.) charter," he said, according to The Associated Press.
Updated at 12:35 p.m. ET: Syrian leader Bashar Assad cannot sustain his hold on power and it is a matter of time before his leadership falls, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told senators, according to Reuters.
"I personally believe it's a question of time before Assad falls, but that's the issue, it could be a long time," Clapper told a Senate intelligence committee hearing. "Protraction of these demonstrations, the opposition continues to be fragmented, but I do not see how he can sustain his rule of Syria."
Ayman Mohyeldin / NBC News
President Bashar Assad's regime is intensifying its violent crackdown on Syrian protesters, despite international pressure. NBC News' Ayman Mohyeldin is one of the few Western journalists to have been granted permission inside Syria in recent weeks, click to see some of his photos.
Meanwhile, British newspaper the Guardian reported that a copy of the draft U.N. resolution demanding Assad step aside tried to address Russian concerns that the vote could open the door to western military intervention.
The draft obtained by the newspaper said the council is "reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, emphasising the need to resolve the current crisis in Syria peacefully, and stressing that nothing in this resolution compels states to resort to the use of force or the threat of force," according to the newspaper.
The draft did not entirely exclude the possibility of military action, however, the newspaper reported.
Published at 8:30 a.m. ET: A senior Russian diplomat warned Tuesday that a draft U.N. resolution demanding Syrian President Bashar Assad step aside is a "path to civil war," as Syrian troops crushed pockets of resistance by rebel soldiers on the outskirts of Damascus.
The U.N. Security Council was to meet Tuesday to discuss the draft, backed by Western and some Arab powers. But Russia would likely veto any punitive action.
"The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria does not lead to a search for compromise," Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov wrote on Twitter. "Pushing this resolution is a path to civil war."
Russia has been one of Assad's strongest backers as he tries to crush an uprising that began nearly 11 months ago. In October, Moscow vetoed the first council attempt to condemn Syria's crackdown and has shown little sign of budging in its opposition.
President Bashar Assad's regime has slaughtered thousands of people since March, according to the United Nations. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
The draft text of the resolution, seen by The Associated Press, insists there will be no use of foreign forces in the country. It calls on Assad's regime to immediately put "an end to all human rights violations and attacks against those exercising their rights to freedom of expression."
It calls on Assad to delegate his "full authority to his deputy" to allow a national unity government to lead transition to a democratic system. The text, the drafting of which has been led by Morocco, insists it does not compel "states to resort to the use of force, or the threat of force."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday he hoped the Security Council would reflect international will when it deliberates the resolution.
"I sincerely hope the Security Council will be united and speak in a coherent manner reflecting the wishes of the international community," Ban told reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman. "This is crucially important."
China, which like Russia has a veto in the council, also has reservations about the draft. Russia and China vetoed a European-drafted resolution in October that condemned Syria and threatened it with sanctions.
"I don't think we can go on like this," Ban said.
Syria's crackdown on protesters and anti-government fighters had gone on despite a now-suspended Arab League monitoring mission and action was needed to stop the bloodshed, he said.
"Even with the monitoring missions having been there, more than a few hundred have been killed ... every day tens of people are killed ... this should stop immediately," Ban said. "It is crucially important for the Security Council to act on this."
Escalating violence
Meanwhile Tuesday, government troops were deploying in "massive numbers" to the suburbs of Damascus, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told NBC News. The group said at least 11 people had been killed as of Tuesday morning.
The Observatory, which supports the Free Syrian Army, said government forces were targeting civilians who were aiding defectors, NBC reported.
Fighting has escalated in the past several days with at least 100 people killed on Monday alone.
The office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced alarm on Tuesday at the escalating violence and called on Syrian authorities to "stop the killing of civilians" while also urging opposition forces to show restraint.
"It does look like there's a very dangerous and alarming escalation taking place including right in the suburbs of Damascus," U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva.
"So once again we urge the Syrian authorities to stop the killing of civilians in Syria. And we also urge the opposition fighters to take extreme caution too and ensure that there is no more unnecessary killing," he said.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the uprising as of mid-December, according to Pillay's office.
Despite "high rates of casualties" since then, it has been impossible to verify incidents and lists of victims compiled by five or six human rights groups on the ground, Colville said.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Latest violence could signal new phase in Syria conflict
- Gazans break (dance)ing boundaries
- Tourists banned from U.S. over Twitter jokes?
- Americans take refuge at Cairo embassy
- Street battles rage in Damascus suburbs
- Costa Concordia removal could take up to a year
NBC News, msnbc.com staff, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- that is kind of funny...
still waiting on the zombie apokolypse, warren buffett
Russia is backing the Syrian regime and the status quo in that country in every way imaginable and they are the sneakiest "democracy" on Earth and will counteract us at any opportunity - a fact we all know to be true.
When the US helped Libya all you yanks were happy they killed a dictator that was killing his people. But now that its syria you yanks say no, let them die. One of the most hypocritical countries in the worl you are. No oil, so no help.
JJ1962; Americans are not saying "No"; they led the operations that got rid of Sadaam, got rid of the Talibaan, got rid of Ghadafi and are using every legal means possible to get rid of Assad and also your country would be enslaved either by the Soviets, the Nazis or both if it wasn't for the good old USA.
@ Waterslide. I'm Canadian. So everything you said was on my post was wrong. And every battle you mention Canadian blood was spilt in support of the US. We've lost the 3rd most soldiers of all countries in Afghanistan. We also were bombing Libya while Americans flew the spy planes, which is ALL you did. It was Canada and the Europeans that did the work.
Double Standard? Flip- flop? hypocrisy?
We need Syria for torture. Guantamo has too much publicity.
Amen!
Political Spin. No, it is NOT another Lybia. It is TEN TIMES WORSE. Khadafi would have brutalized his people just aa much EXCEPT his own people took up against him. In Syria, the army is standing by Assad and literally committing genocide and atrocities against its own people as bad as it gets, maybe expect for the clear winnters" The Nazis, The Russian Communists, or the Taliban. Hillary, all this proves is that you are ANOTHER POLITICIAN, not any worse and not any better. Hey, it's not any of us getting slaughterd so who cares...
Is this Dr. Evil's wife?
Sure have the UN (USA) take action so we can be the "bad guy" for the rest of the world.
Go to hell Arab League; this is your problem NOT OURS!!
see thats our @!$%#en problem,we are the baby sitter for the world,really let them @!$%#en people deal with the problems they make,we have 100000000000000000000 problems here in the us,really,@!$%# this third worl dcountry @!$%# is not our problem,why dont you worrie about the peopel across our borders called the cartel you stupidd no sense people,really ask any one in the states do they have a @!$%#en clue about syria,i don't know about that place and can really care less,we help more country sin this world,then we do one state in the usa,really and you wonder why people would vote every one of you @!$%#s out.
Anthony420007- I think Syria is a Syrian problem and it seems like some people decide to start a fight for their freedom and then call on the UN to pay the bill for their freedom. And the UN with a big atta boy from the US under humanitarian reason's has the nerve to even consider getting involved. Hey Syrians if you don't like what the cost of freedom is, then lay down and give up to Assad. Otherwise keep fighting for your own freedom you might just then appreciate it should you win. Call when you need ammo other than that good luck!
The US political work that we pay for is all spent on these unthankful countries. With a token vote for us before they go home for a break is all we get for our money and a president who say's send me a bill I'll sign it. How about working together and get those bills done whatever it takes as promised. Instead of spending all that time on muslim problems who just stab us in the back. The lack of work on the problems before Americans is the exact reason that I will, dispite, if I like this one over that one, will be voting a new name in every election. Until I see the change everyone has claimed they voted for last time. I still have seen no change for the better. I still see politicians openly doing the opposite of what voters want. They still are not listening to us and do exactly as they please. I will vote a new candidate in every election until I see politicians working for America. Obama good or bad has also been more of the same old same old than any change. America is still going broke and there is still record unemployment with a good portion of the work force in the military, that makes no sense other than no one is working on US problems. Vote to change them all until we find those that start to work for America, elect anybody in the next elections that hasn't already been there. What more harm can possibly be done if we happen to elect more that have no clue, but we may get lucky and find a rare untapped gem and send a message at the same time.
Vote anybody new until they work for us! Already people have forgotten that the majority voted for change, that has not happened. Yet they are already buying into the political ring of keeping those who already failed change. Because they don't like the other guy who may do worse but guess what the guy you have did not change a thing so try the next one you might be surprised. He just might sense that wind of change better happen or they to are unemployed! No more second terms until we see change that America's problems come first and no more lifetime politicians they just end up oweing to many people over the years to vote in your favor. After a couple of comfortable career politicians who do as they please openly and opposite of voters find themselves shockingly unemployeed. The new ones will get the idea or get the boot a lot quicker than their predecessors!