Bashar al-Assad
President Obama is imposing tough sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and six other senior Syrian officials in an effort to stop the regime's fierce crackdown on protests, the U.S. Treasury Department says. The Treasury Department also is targeting two top Iranian officials whose unit was a "Conduit for Iranian material support" To Syrian intelligence. Ref. CNN
Bashar Al-Assad (Hover)
Assad Admits Innocent People Killed:
Al-Assad said, "The state must be attentive to the needs of its citizens, and most of the Syrian people - those who took to the streets and those who stayed at home - have needs to which the state must be attentive. At the same time, there was a minority which tried to bring the majority to confrontation with the state." Ref. Source 4
Assad to offer presidential election as Homs death toll rises:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to deliver a new speech on the situation in the country. It will be his fourth public address since the protests against his regime started in mid-March. According to sources close to the embattled leader he is going to introduce several "surprises". Ref. Source 5
The United States on Thursday will call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, senior U.S. Officials tell CNN.
The White House was expected to release a statement confirming the move, followed by a formal announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The move has been closely coordinated with European and Arab allies and would come one day after al-Assad told the head of the United Nations that military and police operations against anti-government protesters have stopped, according to a statement released by the Secretary-General's office.
There have been calls from many nations, including Saudi Arabia, to get al-Assad to stop his regime's brutality against his people who are seeking democratic reforms. Ref. CNN
Russia, Turkey stand by Assad:
A Russian Foreign Ministry source said Russia opposes U.S. And European calls for Assad leave power and believes he needs more time to implement promised reforms, while in Turkey. An official source told AFP Turkey also believes it is "too soon" to call for Assad's departure. Ref. Source 2