No agreement reached to arm Syrian rebels

April 2, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

ISTANBUL

The United States and more than 70 other countries Sunday announced modest new steps to counter Syria’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, but they seemed unlikely to advance the U.S. goal of removing President Bashar al Assad from power anytime soon.

Speaking at the end of a day of meetings with her counterparts in the “Friends of the Syrian People” group of nations, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced $12 million more in humanitarian aid, provision of better communications equipment to the Syrian opposition, new sanctions on top Syrian leaders and training in spotting war crimes. She called them “concrete steps” that will put “greater pressure” on the Assad regime.

But her promises won faint praise from members of Syria’s emigre civilian opposition. “She is the only person who said nothing new,” said Mohamed Saini, an official of the Syrian National Council who sat in on the ministerial meeting. “We have more than 12,000 people killed in Syria. Most of the cities have been destroyed. I don’t say we won’t accept when someone says ‘We are going to do something.’ What we want them to say is ‘We are doing it.’”

He was referring to Clinton’s refusal to commit the United States to demonstrative action, such as setting up safe zones, a humanitarian corridor or a buffer zone, all of which the opposition says can help it topple Assad.

Clinton said the “moment of truth” had come for Assad, who last week accepted a United Nations demand for a cease-fire, and then continued military operations. But she did not say what would happen if Assad does not comply or if U.N. envoy Kofi Annan declares the initiative had run its course.

“There is no more time for excuses or delays,” Clinton said. She indicated that the next move would depend on Annan, a former U.N. secretary general, who reports to the Security Council today, and asked only that he establish a “timeline” for the negotiations.

The assembled leaders here seemed acutely aware of the humanitarian disaster under way in Syria. Their final statement condemned the “widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” and cited a U.N. commission, which charged the government with possible “crimes against humanity.”

But their only response was a U.S. plan to set up an “accountability clearing-house” to train Syrian citizens to document atrocities and abuses and to identify perpetrators.

Clinton announced that the United States would provide communications equipment and implied that the U.S. would also provide intelligence.