As civil war death toll rises, President Obama releases video statement to Syrian people | http://bloom.bg/11bPqsa
Obama Delivers Video Message to Syria as Death Toll Rises
Bloomberg News Obama Delivers Video Message to Syria as Death Toll Rises
By Margaret Talev - Jan 29, 2013 3:32 PM ET
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Obama to Syrians: 'No Mistake' U.S. Committed
President Barack Obama released a video statement to the Syrian people attesting to the U.S. commitment to their humanitarian needs amid fresh reports of civilian killings by the Assad regime.
The three-minute video with Arabic subtitles was circulated today by the White House in connection with a U.S. announcement of $155 million in new humanitarian assistance to Syria. The move comes days after Obama indicated in an interview no move toward U.S. military intervention.
“The relief we send doesn’t say ‘made in America’ but make no mistake, our aid reflects the commitment of the American people,” Obama says in the statement.
“I want to speak directly to the people of Syria,” Obama says. The aid will help bring clothing for children, medical care, winter supplies and “flour and wheat for your families.”
The video was released via Twitter Inc.’s social-networking site, shown on the Al Arabiya news channel and distributed to the Syrian opposition and pan-Arab media, according to the White House.
The additional aid brings the U.S. contribution to $365 million, which Obama said made the U.S. “the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance” to Syria.
He called on other countries to do more, while saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime “continues to weaken” and “will come to an end.”
Syrian rebels, mostly Sunni Muslims, have been fighting to oust Assad since March 2011 in a conflict that, according to the United Nations, has left at least 60,000 people dead.
