BICOM

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the Security Council ‘must act’ on Syria to end President Bashar Assad’s ‘violent and brutal attacks’ on anti-government protesters.

Despite Russian opposition to a resolution on Syria, Clinton said that she would travel to the UN today to ‘send a clear message of support to the Syrian people: we stand with you.’ Clinton then added that the ‘Security Council must act and make clear to the Syrian regime that the world community views its actions as a threat to peace and security. The violence must end, so that a new period of democratic transition can begin.’

Clinton will join other top officials including Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe at today’s Security Council meeting, which comes as violence continues in Syria.

Nevertheless, Russia, the main military supplier to Syria, has said that it will use its veto against a draft Security Council resolution. Furthermore, a Russian diplomatic source, according to a report in AFP, has said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will most likely not attend the Security Council meetings.

According to figures from the UN, more than 5,400 people have died in Syria – including 80 on Sunday alone, as Assad’s crack down on protesters continues.