Clinton calls for friends of Syria to unite

The Associated Press

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Sunday for " friends of democratic Syria" to unite and rally against President Bashar Assad's regime, previewing the possible formation of a formal group of like- minded nations to coordinate assistance to the Syrian opposition.

Speaking in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia a day after Russia and China blocked U. N. Security Council action on Syria, Clinton said the international community had a duty to halt ongoing bloodshed and promote a political transition that would see Assad step down. She said the " friends of Syria" should work together to promote those ends.

Clinton was bluntly critical of Saturday's veto by Russia and China at the United Nations blocking action against the continuing violence in Syria. " What happened yesterday at the United Nations was a travesty," she said. " Faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right to have a better future," Clinton told reporters after meeting top Bulgarian officials.

Such a group could be similar, but not identical, to the Contact Group on Libya, which oversaw international help for opponents of the late deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. However, in the case of Libya, the group also coordinated NATO military operations to protect Libyan civilians, something that is not envisioned in Syria.

Clinton warned that a failure to act would increase the chances for " a brutal civil war" as many Syrians under attack from their government moved to defend themselves.

U. S. officials said a friends group would work to further squeeze the Assad regime by enhancing sanctions against it, bringing disparate Syrian opposition groups inside and outside the country together and providing humanitarian relief for embattled Syrian .

" We will work to expose those who are still funding the regime and sending it weapons to be used against defenseless Syrians, including women and children," Clinton said.