A world meeting on Syria on July 6 urged the UN to use the threat of sanctions to force change in Syria as President Bashar Assad was rocked by the defection of one of his most senior generals. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also rounded on Russia and China, telling delegates from over 100 countries gathered in Paris that the two veto-wielding UN Security Council members were blocking progress toward peace. The “Friends of Syria” meeting insisted that Assad would have to quit and sought a resolution under the UN charter’s Chapter 7, which provides for possible sanctions and military action.
But it stressed that the immediate action under Article 41 provided only for non-military intervention. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle backed the call for non-military action for the time being, saying force should only be discussed “when the implementation of the sanctions has not really made the progress they should have.”
French President Francois Hollande also pushed for the Security Council to get tough with Damascus, while the Syrian opposition called for humanitarian corridors and a no-fly zone. The meet comes on a day when at least 29 people were killed across Syria as protesters took to the streets in several provinces after being urged to call for a “People’s liberation war.”