Internet down across Syria for second day

Amnesty International said on Twitter that reports of an internet shutdown
were “very disturbing”.

Meanwhile delegates from more than 60 countries agreed in Tokyo to ramp up
pressure on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and urged the international community
to unite to force change in Syria.

The “Friends of Syria” condemned the “incessant killings,
bombings of residential areas” and the “gross violation of human
rights” that have taken place since Assad’s forces moved to crush an
uprising.

At a meeting in the Japanese capital, the group’s fifth since its inception,
they called for a full oil embargo on Syria, a move aimed at cutting off a
rich source of currency for the regime.

In a statement released after the meeting, the group, which includes Western
and Arab countries, called on “all members of the international
community, especially members of the United Nations Security Council, to
take swift, responsible and resolute action”.

Two of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China and Russia –
have blocked action.

The statement welcomed the formation of the National Coalition, a
newly-unified opposition group that has been recognised by Britain, France
and Spain as the legitimate representatives of Syria.

It also called for ramping up of sanctions to tighten the noose around the
regime, insisting that any ill effects suffered by the populace were the
fault of the government in Damascus.

“The group called on the international financial and business communities
to diligently comply with ongoing and forthcoming measures against the
Syrian regime,” it said.

“The group reiterated its call on all states to impose an embargo on
Syrian petroleum products and a ban on the provision of insurance and
reinsurance for shipments of Syrian petroleum products.”

Presently, the United States has banned the import of Syrian oil and gas, but
the EU has not.

On Thursday Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said Washington was
weighing what further help it could give the Syrian opposition rebels.

“We are going to carefully consider what more we can do,” Clinton
told a Washington forum, saying the United States was constantly evaluating
the situation and adding: “I’m sure we will do more in the weeks ahead.”

But she stopped short of saying whether the US would recognise the National
Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people.

Privately, US officials have said the Obama administration would likely go
ahead and recognise the group at some point.

“We hope the National Coalition … will play a further role as an entity
that represents a wider range of the Syrian society, with a common objective
of having all the Syrians enjoy peace and prosperity in the new Syria,”
Gemba said on Friday.

Along with sanctions on the Assad regime, “providing assistance to
refugees and internally displaced people” is essential, said Gemba,
adding the world also had to “look ahead to a post-Assad” Syria.

Source: agencies

Source Article from http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568301/s/26219fa2/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cworldnews0Cmiddleeast0Csyria0C97136240CInternet0Edown0Eacross0ESyria0Efor0Esecond0Eday0Bhtml/story01.htm

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