Obama Calls for New U.N. Sanctions against Syria

The United States president said that it is the duty of the United Nations to protect the Syrian people from the regime.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in his speech before the U.N. General Assembly, asked for new sanctions against Syria from the Security Council.

In his speech, Obama asserted that, “There’s no excuse for inaction” and insisted that, “Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime, and to stand with the Syrian people.” The U.S. president, who recapped the changes in the world over the past few years and noted, in particular, citizen-based movements in favor of democratic change in the Arab world in his speech, said that, “for the sake of Syria — and the peace and security of the world — we must speak with one voice.”

Keep in mind that the United States has already implemented strong sanctions against Syrian leaders and supports the transfer of power in Damascus. “The Syrian people have shown dignity and courage in their pursuit of justice — protesting peacefully, standing silently in the streets, dying for the same values that this institution is supposed to stand for,” said Obama. “And the question for us is clear: Will we stand with the Syrian people, or with their oppressors?” insisted the president, who publicly called for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time this August. Since the protests in Syria calling for democracy and reforms to the regime began, there have been nearly 2,700 deaths, according to data from the U.N. The institution has repeatedly called on al-Assad to end the violence and repression against the demonstrators and to fulfill his duty to protect civilians.