Syria

Clinton Will Back U.N. Action on Syria

Attempts for Russian-negotiated peace fall apart.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that she will support a United Nations resolution to push for a transfer of power in Syria. A meeting on the resolution, backed by Britain and France, will begin Tuesday in New York. Russia said Monday that the Syrian government is ready to talk to opposition fighters, but talks appeared to have failed while fighting raged in the capital city, Damascus, and in the outlying suburbs. Russia has resisted pressure from Western nations to back U.N.-imposed sanctions on Syria. Syrian forces on Monday raided the Damascus suburbs that have been under the control of opposition fighters. Around 2,000 troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, aided by 50 tanks and armored vehicles, entered the opposition-controlled neighborhoods at dawn. Activists say government forces killed at least 19 people. “It's urban war,” one activist told Reuters. “There are bodies in the street.”