Nick Clegg: Time for Assad to go
Nick Clegg says it is time for President Assad to step down
12 April 2012
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is under pressure to stand down as rebel victories in Libya reignite hopes of more "Arab Spring" revolutions.
The West is stepping up calls for the dictator to go and spare his country more bloodshed.
In a speech in London today, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "For the sake of the Syrian people, it's time for Assad to go. He is as irrelevant to Syria's future as Gaddafi is to Libya's."
Protesters in Syria will also be emboldened by the rebels sweeping into Tripoli to strengthen their revolt against the Assad family's 40-year
tyranny.
But the Syrian leader remained defiant and warned against any foreign military intervention. Some 2,000 people have died in the uprising.
