‘Friends of Syria’ agree to step up pressure on Assad

Delegates from more than 60 countries agreed in Tokyo on Friday 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.