Hague admits ‘frustration’ at powerlessness over Syria
By Ian Dunt Follow @IanDunt
William Hague has admitted that Britain is all-but powerless to stop the bloodshed in Syria, after a weekend of violence left over 130 dead.
Security forces killed dozens in the city of Hama yesterday, prompting an international outcry.
"It is a very frustrating situation. The levers we have are very limiting," the foreign secretary admitted.
"We want to see stronger international pressure all round. To be effective that can't just be pressure from Western nations – that includes from Arab nations, it includes from Turkey, which has been very active in trying to persuade President Assad to reform instead of embarking on these appalling actions."
He added: "I would also like to see a United Nations security council resolution to condemn this violence, to call for the release of political prisoners and call for legitimate grievances to be responded to.
"There are nations on the security council opposed to any resolution – or they have certainly been in recent weeks. We will revisit this in the coming hours and days."
But Mr Hague readily admitted that any military action involving the UK was unthinkable, saying it was "not a remote possibility".
President Bashar al-Assad, long considered a force of moderation and reform in the west, has reacted to the Syrian uprising with extraordinary violence.
With western forces distracted in Libya and an army without sufficient independence to rebel against his leadership, there is little stopping the Syrian leader from continuing to crush democracy campaigners in his borders.
