U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday he could no longer delay
implementing a UN-Arab League peace proposal to end fighting in Syria.
Speaking after a meeting between Western and Arab officials and
members of the Syrian opposition in Istanbul, Clinton said Assad had so
far refused to implement the Annan peace plan.
"There is no more time for excuses or delays ... this is a moment of truth," Clinton told a news conference.
Clinton also noted that the Syrian opposition was becoming better focused, better organised and more inclusive.
The Syrian National Council was recognised by the "Friends of Syria"
group of 83 countries as a legitimate representative of the Syrian
people, and the main opposition interlocutor for the international
community.
Turning to other high-profile issues in the region, Clinton said that
the United States would welcome a decision by Iran that nuclear weapons
were un-Islamic, so long as Tehran observed that principle.
She was responding to reports that Turkish leaders were told in
Tehran last week that the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni
viewed weapons of mass destruction as prohibited by Islam.
"We are certainly open to believing that this is the position, but of
course the international community now wants to see actions associated
with that statement of belief," Clinton said. "The Iranians also have to
know that this is not an open-ended discussion."
Iran is expected to renew negotiations with six world powers on April
13 to discuss it nuclear programme, after more than a year without
talks.
Asked about the decision by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - the
strongest party in the Egyptian parliament - to field a candidate in a
presidential election, Clinton said the United States would be following
the vote closely but urged political actors not to discriminate against
women, minorities, or political opponents.
"We want to see Egypt move forward in a democratic transition and
what that means is that you do not or cannot discriminate against
religious minorities, women, political opponents," she said.
الرئيسية 
