NATO officials: No plan for military intervention in Syria

Secretary-General says member states seek ways to pressure Assad into abiding by Annan peace deal

21 May 2012, 3:23 am

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Flames and smoke rise from burned cars after two bombs exploded in Damascus, Syria, in early May (photo credit: AP/SANA)

CHICAGO (AP) — United States and NATO officials say the North Atlantic alliance has no intention of intervening militarily to quell violence in Syria.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder said members of the alliance continue to seek ways to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime so it abides by a peace plan brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan.

Last year, NATO conducted air strikes in Libya that helped topple strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

But Daalder said Syria was not discussed at Sunday’s NATO meeting.

The Assad regime has continued shelling opposition centers, and an armed insurgency is targeting government installations.

U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the U.S. and its allies are assisting the Syrian opposition with diplomatic support and non-lethal aid.