The Obama administration is devising “targeted sanctions” against Syrian President Bashar Assad, White House officials said Monday, issuing its strongest statement against escalating violence in the Syrian government’s crackdown against protesters. In assailing the deaths of more than 350 Syrian people in recent weeks, White House spokesman Jay Carney said sanctions could be used “to make clear to the Syrian government that we believe it needs to cease and desist from the violence it’s been perpetrating against its own citizens.”
Among options being considered: Freezing financial assets and U.S. business dealings with Assad and his inner circle, and implementing travel bans on those directly responsible for the attacks, White House officials said.
In Syria Monday, there were reports of tanks firing liberally on civilians, killing dozens of anti-government protesters and leaving bodies to line the streets.
With Libya on the verge of a stalemate, another uprising in a region brimming with chaos is certainly precarious for Obama. The administration is treading carefully in Syria, as the country has deep-rooted ties to Iran and will have major influence in Middle East peace talks with Israel, the main American ally in the region.
Reflecting the measured approach, the president stopped short of calling for Assad to step down, instead imploring the Syrian leader to “change course now.”
“They have placed their personal interests ahead of the interests of the Syrian people, resorting to the use of force and outrageous human rights abuses to compound the already oppressive security measures in place before these demonstrations erupted,” Obama said. “Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies.”
Like U.S. efforts in Egypt and Libya, the administration is seeking to balance support for a democratic movement while not dictating conditions in an area with long-established resentment of the United States.
Any sanctions against Assad would be in addition to less stringent sanctions already imposed on Syria because it is categorized as a “state sponsor of terrorism” by the State Department.
Carney sought to downplay comparisons to Libya, noting that airstrikes against Moammar Gadhafi had the backing of the United Nations and were implemented in response to a direct threat made against Libyan civilians — even though sanctions in Syria would closely mirror those imposed on the Libyan leader prior to the military action.
“Every country is different,” he said. “We are looking at a range of options … not exclusive to targeted sanctions. By that, I don’t want to hint that there is some larger thing coming.”
Carney said the U.S. was in constant communication with its allies about how to press forward on Syria. He did not say how long it would take to impose sanctions but such actions would certainly require urgency.
“Let Obama come and take Syria; let Israel come and take Syria; let the Jews come,” shouted one Syrian resident over the phone, according to an Associated Press report. “Anything is better than Bashar Assad.”
