| The United States has suspended its embassy's operations in Syria in the face of escalating violence and concerns that the embassy in Damascus was insufficiently protected. The move to withdraw U.S. diplomatic personnel followed one of the most violent weekends in the eleven-month conflict between anti-government protesters and the Syrian regime. Observers say that over 200 people were killed as government forces attacked the city of Homs. That attack coincided with a failed push in the U.N. Security Council for a resolution condemning the violence in Syria, demanding the Syrian government immediately put an end to all human rights violations, and calling for support of an Arab League plan to facilitate a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system, among other measures. In a 13-2 vote, the resolution was vetoed by Russia and China. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the failure to adopt the Security Council resolution a travesty. She said those countries that refuse to support the Arab League plan bear full responsibility for protecting the brutal regime in Damascus. |
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