Clinton demands Syria end violence

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WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday demanded that Syria's ruler immediately cease violence and hailed a UN Human Rights Council decision to send investigators as precedent setting.

Clinton, speaking after a meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, renewed her call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to "respond to the legitimate aspirations" of his country's people.

"We continue to condemn in the strongest possible terms the absolutely deplorable actions that the Syrian government is taking against its own people. The violence must end immediately," she told reporters.

The United States on Friday imposed new sanctions against Syria including against Maher al-Assad, the powerful brother of the president and commander of Syria's feared Fourth Armored Division.

Assad has been trying to end the biggest threat to his family's rule since the 1980s. A rights group said that at least 62 people died on Friday.

Also Friday, the Human Rights Council endorsed sending a team of investigators to Syria, with Western powers watering down the resolution and rallying African and Latin American nations to overcome opposition by Russia and China.

"The council has stood against attempts to silence dissent with the use of gratuitous violence," Clinton said. "The Human Rights Council has set a precedent which has advanced the importance of this organization."

The council has long been seen with disdain in some policy circles in Washington who point to the membership of countries with questionable records. Libya was kicked off after launching its recent crackdown on protests. (AFP)