Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


    February 16, 2012

UN Calls on Syrian President to Step Down

   VOA News
   Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (file photo)
   Photo: REUTERS
   Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (file photo)

   The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly passed a
   resolution demanding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down and
   strongly condemns human rights violations by his regime.
   One hundred 37 nations voted yes with 12 saying no. Seventeen
   abstained. Russia and China, who vetoed a similar resolution in the
   Security Council, were among the no votes.
   Thursday's resolution is non-binding, but reflects overall world
   opinion on the situation in Syria.
   Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier Thursday accused Mr. al-Assad's
   government of committing crimes against humanity. He demanded Syrian
   security forces stop shelling and using force against civilians.
   The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA at least
   24 people were killed across the country Thursday, including four
   people in clashes in Daraa and 14 people in a government assault on a
   defected area near Hama.
   Rights groups say more than 6,000 people have been killed since
   pro-Assad forces began cracking down on anti-government protesters last
   year. The U.N. stopped updating the death toll in January, saying it
   was too difficult to obtain information.
   China said Thursday it is sending a senior diplomat to Syria for talks
   about the crisis. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Vice
   Foreign Minister Zhai Jun will be in Syria on Friday and Saturday, but
   could not say who will be involved in the talks.
   He said China wants to press for a peaceful resolution. The vice
   foreign minister met with a Syrian opposition delegation last week in
   Beijing.
   Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
   Join the conversation on our social journalism site - [1]Middle East
   Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on [2]Twitter and discuss them
   on our [3]Facebook page.

References

   1. http://middleeastvoices.com/
   2. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
   3. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?%20%20%20%20v=wall

.