US wants 'action, not words' from Syria's Assad
Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:27 GMT
(Updates with quotes, background)
WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday said it wanted to see "action, not words" from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who pledged political reforms within months.
Assad, in a speech at Damascus University, said a national dialogue would start soon to review new legislation including laws on parliamentary elections, the media and political parties and look at possible changes to the constitution. [ID:nLDE75J00G]
"Bashar al-Assad has been making promises to his people for years, for weeks. What's important now is action, not words," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
She also dismissed Assad blaming saboteurs for the unrest.
"With regard to Bashar al-Assad's allegation that what's going on in his country is the result of foreign instigators, we're just not buying it," Nuland said.
She said the Syrian people continue to protest, which shows that "for them his words are not enough."
(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Will Dunham)
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