UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? President Barack Obama says it’s time for the U.N. Security Council to sanction Syria for using deadly violence against citizens who are rising up against the authoritarian government there.
In a speech Wednesday to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama said: “There is no excuse for inaction.”
The Security Council’s response to months of violence in Syria was a statement condemning President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR’ AH’-sahd) for turning his forces against his people. But the panel remains divided over sanctions against Assad and his regime.
Obama said the U.S. and many of its allies have joined to punish Syria. He says that on this issue the world must speak with one voice.