Syria committed to violence, U.S. says

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Washington hasn't seen evidence the Syrian government intends to stop attacking its own citizens despite numerous pledges, a U.S. official said.

Syria was hit with economic sanctions because of a brutal crackdown on protesters demonstrating against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

The U.N. Security Council hasn't been able to get around opposition from China and Russia in its efforts to formally condemn Syria. The Arab League, however, managed to get assurances from Damascus that it would pull its military equipment off the streets.

Syrian media lauded the Arab League proposal as a reflection of its principled stance against violence. Syrian opposition groups, however, reported numerous deaths in the wake of the Arab League settlement.

"We welcome (Arab League) efforts to stop the Assad regime's brutal assaults," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "But we have not seen any evidence that the Assad regime intends to live up to the commitments that it's made."

Damascus has made several announcements it had enacted reform measures that it said addressed many of the protesters' demands, though its Western adversaries have taken a wait-and-see stance on Syria's commitments.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency blames outsiders and rogue gangs for much of the violence in the country. The United Nations estimates that around 3,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the Syrian uprising began in March.