CAIRO: Russian diplomats have called on the international community to give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad more time to implement reforms, even as the death toll in the country from government attacks continues to rise. The United States and Europe have called on Assad to step down and allow the country to move forward. The move by Russia counters efforts by leaders increasing international pressure against a regime criticized for its brutal crackdown against protesters calling for reforms and the ouster of Assad. “We do not support such calls, and we think that President al-Assad should be given time today to implement all of the declared reform processes,” a Russian Foreign Ministry official told the nation's Interfax news agency. The US government has previously said Assad had “lost legitimacy,” but resisted calling explicitly for his ouster until now. “The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way,” President Barack Obama said in a statement Thursday. “We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way. He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside.” The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union have echoed Obama's demand. The Russian statements on Friday seem to be a reversal from earlier government statements by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in June when he condemned the crackdown on civilians and pressured Damascus to end the violence. The Russian Foreign Ministry official, according to Interfax, said “what counts most is al-Assad's statement yesterday that they are stopping all military operations.” During a telephone call with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, al-Assad said military operations in the country had been halted. Activists in the country, however, have refuted such claims, saying tanks and military action continues on Friday. Since Syrians took to the streets on March 15, government military action against the protesters has resulted in over 2,000 people being killed and thousands more injured. BM
