February 7th, 2012

Amb. Rice to Syria’s leader: It is time and past time to transfer power peaceably.

Today United States ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice spoke with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about Syria. Blitzer asked Amb. Rice if she had a message for President Bashar al-Assad; her comments are below.

“I’d say the United States stands with the people of Syria fully and unequivocally in their aspirations for peace, for democracy and for a brighter future.  Your days are numbered.  And it is time and past time for you to the transfer power responsibly and peacefully.  The longer you hang on, the more damage you do yourself, your family, your interests and, indeed, your country.”

Please credit all usage of the interview to CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

Highlight from Full Interview
THIS IS A RUSH FDCH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Because they’re still getting support, the Damascus regime, not just from Russia and China, but from some of their neighbors, Iran, to be sure, even Lebanon, even the supposedly U.S. regime, the government in Baghdad of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, they’re still supporting the Syrian regime.

So if — if you see them being on their last legs, they probably say to themselves, they still have some support out there.

SUSAN RICE, U.S.  AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Well, actually, I think they very much are on their last legs.  And — and while they have, certainly, Iran strongly in their corner and Russia for the time being, the fact is the region, the Arab League plus Turkey, plus the — the international community, as we saw, in fact, on Saturday, when countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America, all came together to condemn this regime and call for its departure through a political transition.

So, you know, Assad may use the excuse of the Russian-Chinese veto to accelerate the violence in the short-term.  But there is no question that that is not tenable over the long-term or even the medium-term and that, indeed, he is feeling the pressure economically and — and otherwise.

And — and our aim is to ratchet that pressure up.

BLITZER:  We’re out of time.  But very quickly, you’re being seen around the world, including in Damascus, right now.  I want you to look into the camera, as you are, and assume you’re speaking directly to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

What would you say to him?

RICE:  I’d say the United States stands with the people of Syria fully and unequivocally in their aspirations for peace, for democracy and for a brighter future.  Your days are numbered.  And it is time and past time for you to the transfer power responsibly and peacefully.  The longer you hang on, the more damage you do yourself, your family, your interests and, indeed, your country.

BLITZER:  Ambassador, thanks very much for joining us.

RICE:  Thank you, Wolf.

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