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February 3, 2012

Syria: U.N. Drops Call for Assad Resignation 
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Talks continue at the U.N. Security Council today over a measure to
respond to the Syrian government's crackdown on the growing uprising
against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In a bid to avoid a Russian
veto, backers of a proposed measure have dropped language calling on
Assad to step down. Russia has vowed to block any measure that would
allow for foreign military intervention. The ongoing talks at the United
Nations come as more accounts of a war-zone-like atmosphere emerge from
restive Syrian cities. In Homs, a young boy described what he said was
the torture and murder of his father by Assad's forces.

Unidentified: ''They called us and said we have Abdel Fattal Hosam. We
went to the government hospital and he had marks of torture on his face.
There were no gunshot wounds, he was just tortured. We found him dead.
He was in a coma for five days and then died. They called us from the
hospital and told us to come and get him. He had a taxi car, as well.
They burned the taxi.''



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