WH: Syria should heed events of region

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Libyan despot Moammar Gadhafi's death alone may not stir Syrian President Bashar Assad but the totality of regional events should, a White House spokesman said.

Libya's transitional government announced Thursday Gadhafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, was killed in a battle with National Transitional Council fighters. Obama called the announcement a "momentous day in the history of Libya."

"The president believes that Syria's leader has lost his legitimacy to rule," White House spokesman Jay Carney said during a news briefing. "The violence he has perpetrated against his own people is unacceptable."

The United Nations recently reported the number of deaths in Syria since the pro-democracy movement began has topped 3,000.

"I think it's fair to say that the events of this entire year in that region of the world have spoken more dramatically than any individual could about where the future lies in that region," Carney said.

The future, Carney said, is with the youth and others who demand greater democracy, accountability and freedom from their governments.

"And that's as true in Syria as it is in Libya," the spokesman said.