As civil unrest intensifies, the United States has closed its Syrian embassy and ordered diplomats to leave the country.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said President Bashar al-Assad has chosen a “dangerous path” in dealing with the 11-month-old uprising, adding that the United States remains “gravely concerned over the escalation of violence.” On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a U.N. security council resolution condemning Syria that had been strongly supported by Western countries and the Arab League. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denounced the vetoes as a “travesty.” The United States wants Assad to cede power and make way for a democratically elected government.
In August last year the State Department ordered all civilians to leave Syria.