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February 27, 2012

59 Killed in Syria as Referendum Held to Extend Assad's Rule 
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At least 59 civilians and soldiers were reportedly killed on Sunday in
Syria while voters went to the polls to approve a new constitution
proposed by President Bashar al-Assad that could keep him in power until
2028. Syrian artillery are continuing to pummel rebel-held areas of
Homs. The International Committee of the Red Cross is attempting to
secure a pause in the fighting to allow the wounded to be evacuated and
desperately needed aid to be delivered. International leaders remain
divided over how to deal with the Syrian crisis. On Friday, Saudi Arabia
backed the idea of arming the anti-Assad rebels, a proposal strongly
opposed by Russia. President Obama talked about Syria on Friday.

President Obama: "And we are going to continue to keep the pressure up
and look for every tool available to prevent the slaughter of innocents
in Syria. And this is an area where I think the Prime Minister and I
have deeply agreed it's important that we not be bystanders during these
extraordinary events."



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