U.S., allies expel Syrian diplomats over massacre - The Washington Post
The United States and 10 other countries expelled Syrian diplomats Tuesday after blaming government forces for last week's massacre of more than 100 villagers in central Syria, but they again stopped short of calling for more aggressive action to end the violence.
Despite expressions of outrage and agreement that the situation in Syria has reached what U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan called a "tipping point," the Obama administration and its major allies said they would continue to rely on diplomatic, political and economic pressure against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Russia factor
The Syrian dilemma has provided partisan political fodder at home. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Tuesday criticized what he called Obama's "lack of leadership" and "policy of paralysis."
Romney said the administration should "increase pressure on Russia" to stop arming Syria and blocking stronger U.N. action and should start arming the Syrian opposition.
But among the allies, "the judgment now is that if you go down a road where you're taking some fairly tough decisions in terms of your bilateral decisions with Russia," there is a price to be paid, the European diplomat said. "We need Russia for other things," including nuclear negotiations with Iran and North Korea.
Annan's deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, is scheduled to brief the Security Council on Wednesday. Council diplomats said they expect to hear later in the week from Annan, whose U.N. mandate to arrange a cease-fire and negotiations over a new government has a month remaining.
"Our next U.N. step is to pursue a Chapter 7 resolution," Nuland said.
Although such resolutions can be worded to endorse military intervention, the administration has made clear that it would utilize that step to expand economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria.
A new council resolution would also require agreement from Russia and China.
