US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking in an interview with CBS Evening News (August 11), was asked why the United States has not yet called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Clinton responded that Washington wants other nations to add their voices. 

She said the US “took a long time convincing even our colleagues on the (UN) Security Council to issue a statement, which we finally got done about 10 days ago. And then in rapid succession, we’ve seen the Arab League, we’ve seen the King of Saudi Arabia, we’ve seen the Gulf Cooperation Council, we’ve seen a very strong stand by Turkey and certainly our European friends”.

Clinton said “it’s important that it’s not just the American voice, and we want to make sure that those voices are coming from around the world…the Russians and the Chinese joined our presidential statement, after saying that they would never do anything to condemn the Assad regime.”

She stressed that the US is “building the chorus of international condemnation. And rather than us saying and nobody else following, we think it’s important to lead and have others follow as well.”

In the wide ranging interview that covered events in Syria, the EU debt crisis and the famine in Somalia, Secretary Clinton made it clear that US foreign policy under the Obama administration is one of support for governments around the world, rather than unilateral action.

 She said the US also supports what Europe is trying to do to create a soft landing for their debt crisis. “I’m confident that we’re going to weather this crisis,” she said, “and not just in our own country because I think we have very strong reasons to be confident, but I think (the same) of our partners around the world, most particularly in Europe.”

When asked about Somalia, Clinton said the US role was to support Uganda and other countries participating in AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) to help them and indigenous Somali forces beat back the extremist Islamic faction trying to overthrow the government of Mogadishu.