US closes Embassy in Syria
The US has closed its embassy in Damascus today and pulled all diplomats out of violence-racked Syria as it stepped up pressure on President Bashar Assad to surrender power.
Robert Ford, the American ambassador, and 17 other US officials left Syria and were expected to travel back to the United States.
Their departure comes two weeks after the US State Department warned that it would close the embassy unless Assad's government better protected it, citing safety concerns about embassy personnel and a recent series of car bombs.
It coincides with a US effort to build an international coalition in support of Syria's opposition.
The UN estimates that well over 5,400 people have been killed since March, when mostly peaceful protesters rose up to voice their anger toward four decades of dictatorship by the Assad family.
A brutal crackdown ensued, prompting armed rebels to take the fight to regime troops and try to establish control in pro-opposition areas. The government has responded with even more violence, raising fears of an all-out civil war.
Despite the increased bloodshed, world powers are bitterly divided over how to deal with the situation.
The US, its European partners and much of the Arab world want Assad to step down and transfer power to his vice president as part of a transition to democracy.
But Russia and China, wary after watching the West help Libyan militia oust Muammar Gaddafi, reject any talk of military intervention or regime change. They vetoed a UN resolution over the weekend that would have endorsed an Arab League plan for Syria's post-Assad future.
President Barack Obama said the conflict in Syria should be resolved without outside military intervention, saying a negotiated solution in Syria is still possible. And he defended his administration's actions during the 11-month uprising against Assad's regime.
"We have been relentless in sending a message that it is time for Assad to go," Mr Obama said. "This is not going to be a matter of if, it's going to be a matter of when."
Earlier UN Ambassador Susan Rice said China and Russia were running the risk of suffering the same sort of international isolation as Assad because of their decision to block a UN Security Council vote embracing an Arab League solution for the Syrian crisis.
