FRANCE: Australian Foreign minister Bob Carr calls for tightening of sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird says quick action must be taken to put an end to the crisis

Record ID: 281014

  • Title: FRANCE: Australian Foreign minister Bob Carr calls for tightening of sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird says quick action must be taken to put an end to the crisis
  • Date: 6th July 2012
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 6, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF 'FRIENDS OF SYRIA' CONFERENCE UNDER WAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BOB CARR SAYING: "It is clear there is no place for Assad in a transitional governing body, as called for by the plan. No one will be prepared to shake hands that are so blood-stained. Second, it's important that we work to tighten sa
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7TZL4F48Z20K12WDPV5D4JRXV
  • Story Text: A group of Western and Arab states pressing for an end to President Bashar al-Assad's rule in Syria urged stronger U.N. Security Council action on the crisis on Friday (July 6) and called for "broader and tougher" sanctions.
    "It is clear there is no place for Assad in a transitional governing body, as called for by the plan. No one will be prepared to shake hands that are so blood-stained. Second, it's important that we work to tighten sanctions. Australia with other partners has done that, tightening our autonomous sanctions against the regime but to stop the fighting we need to take international action to be truly effective. And that's why we support the action group's call to avoid further militarisation of the conflict and with that goal in mind towards that all states apply an arms embargo against Syria," Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said.
    Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from the "Friends of Syria" group agreed after a morning of talks in Paris to "massively increase" aid to Syrian rebels and to provide them with communications equipment.
    "As brutal and as evil as the actions of this regime have been, I believe regrettably it could get demonstrably worse. The speed with which the situation on the ground is deteriorating and the trajectory of the escalation of Assad's violence is horrifying. As Hillary mentioned, the presence of large quantities of chemical weapons should send a fear up our spine and the potential there is truly horrifying. We need to strongly and forcefully draw a red line that the international community cannot stand by if Assad goes there," Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said.
    Anti-government groups represented at the talks were given a boost by the defection, confirmed by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, of a Syrian army general who is a personal friend of Assad.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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