U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday bowed to increasing pressure from critics and placed weak sanctions against three Syrian officials, who will barely be affected. They do not apply to Syrian President Bashar Assad, who the Obama administration apparently thinks is not directly responsible for the brutal suppression that has killed hundreds of protesters in recent weeks.
“In addition to actions that we are taking, the United States believes that Syria’s deplorable actions toward its people warrant a strong international response,” the White House stated, without spelling out what the response should be.
The sanctions freeze the assets of three officials, including two relatives of Assad, but will have a limited effect because all three men, like other Syrian leaders, keep most of their money in banks in the Middle East and Europe.
The officials whose American assets, if any, are frozen are Assad’s brother, the head of intelligence, and one of Assad’s cousins, all of whom were cited for being “responsible for human rights abuses.” Washington did not explain why Assad, who rules the country, is not to blame.
Friday’s bloodshed resulted in at least 62 deaths as the protest movement, centered in Dara'a, refuses to buckle under the use of tank and machine gun fire by Assad’s security forces, which also stormed a mosque on Saturday.
President Obama, who turned against ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak within days after his forces killed 300 protesters, faces increasing criticism for laying low on Assad. Republican Senator John McCain, who lost his bid for the White House in the 2008 presidential elections, urged the Obama administration to call on Assad to resign,
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, in a rare condemnation of Damascus, backed a resolution denouncing Syria for its use of violence against peaceful demonstrators. Russia and China voted against the resolution. %as%
In addition, European officials are considering freezing assets of Syrian officials as well as issuing a travel ban.