The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad could be regarded as a war criminal, Hillary Clinton suggested as the United Nations said 100 people were dying in his country every day.
Hillary Clinton called on Syria to end all fighting Photo: EPA
By Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent
7:45PM GMT 28 Feb 2012
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Lynn Pascoe, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, said the total number of dead from the conflict was now "well over" 7,500, with no sign of an end to the violence.
"There are now credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children," she said.
France said it was preparing a new resolution to go before the UN security council and called for the Assad regime to face war crime charges.
Meanwhile Tunisia's president, Moncef Marzouki, said that he was ready to offer asylum to the Syrian leader as part of a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Addressing the US Senate, Mrs Clinton, America's secretary of state, said "an argument could be made" for declaring Mr Assad a war criminal, but stopped short of doing so herself.
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"Based on definitions of war criminal and crimes against humanity, there would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category," she said in Washington.
"But I also think that from long experience that can complicate a resolution of a difficult, complex situation because it limits options to persuade leaders perhaps to step down from power."
In Geneva, the UN's human rights chief said the situation in Syria had deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks and demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.
Navi Pillay said her office has received reports that Syrian military and security forces had "launched massive campaigns of arrest" and an onslaught against government opponents that had deprived many civilians of food, water and medical supplies.
She called on Syria to end all fighting, allow international monitors to enter the country and give unhindered access to aid agencies.
The continuing bombardment in Homs and demands by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to arm the opposition in recent days have led to an increase in the rhetoric directed against Mr Assad.
However, despite all the words, there is little immediate sign of a change of pace of international action against the regime. France said its new resolution, which followed two previous attempts blocked by Russia and China, would call for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to be allowed in - areas on which there is some semblance of international agreement.
A resolution weak enough for Russia to accept might well be rejected by the opposition, however. Its various members are calling for a range of interventions from weapons supplies to a full scale air assault on Damascus.
Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, said on Monday he would like to see the Assad regime brought before the International Criminal Court, but again accepted that would be subject to a UN security council vote, implying a Russian veto.
Mrs Clinton's words appear to hint at a so-called "Yemen Solution", under which Mr Assad would hand over power to his vice-president, in return for immunity from prosecution, as happened with President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Again, that would infuriate the opposition, which wants to see him tried, but would be a way of ending the crisis with a lower chance of a descent into full-scale civil war. Again, though, there is no suggestion that this is acceptable to the Assads or would be supported by Russia.
Three Arab states are said to have offered asylum to the Assad family. One is widely rumoured to be the United Arab Emirates. Tunisia's president, who has also called for Mr Assad to be offered immunity in return for quitting, said he would be welcome there in an interview on Tuesday. Whether Mr Assad would feel comfortable in a traditionally pro-Western country that was the first to overthrow its dictator in the "Arab Spring" is open to question, however.
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