
America has raised the possibility of intervening in Syria without United Nations approval and accused Russia of pushing the country into civil war. Hillary Clinton said the absence of UN support for action in Syria, due mainly to Russia's opposition, 'makes it harder' to respond to the crisis Photo: AFP/GETTY
Addressing students in Denmark, Mrs Clinton urged Russia to use its influence on Mr Assad to curb the fighting.
"The Syrians are not going to listen to us. They will listen - maybe - to the Russians, so we have to keep pushing them," she said.
Russian officials, added Mrs Clinton, "are telling me they don't want to see a civil war. I have been telling them their policy is going help to contribute to a civil war." Western governments believe that diplomatic cover afforded by the Kremlin has emboldened Mr Assad and encouraged him to resist pressure to negotiate a settlement of the conflict.










