Video Related To: Russia urged to put heat on Syrian govt

Official estimates by international aid organizations put the death toll in Syria anywhere between 10000 to 14000 people since the spring of 2011. The initial protests called for greater freedom and democracy for the Syrian people, but once theviolence started, protestors began demanding that the government of Bashar Al- Assad step down. The Syrian military retaliated with more attacks on opposition strongholds all across the country. In response to the Syrian government attacks, the Obama administration passed new sanctions against Syria and called on the international community to take action to put an end to the unrest. Bbama says, "It is absolutely imperative for the international community to rally, and send a clear message to President Assad that it is time for a transition, it is time for that regime to move on, and it is time to stop the killing of Syrian citizens by their own government. China and Russia oppose foreign intervention in Syria, including sanctions by the UN Security Council. Both nations have called for an end to the violence, but say diplomacy is the only acceptable means tosolve the crisis in Syria. Li Baodong, Chinese Ambassador to the UN, says, "we are firmly opposed to theuse of military force as a solution to the Syrian problem, and we are firmly opposed to a forced regime change. It is contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and the norms governing the practices of international relations." As a compromise, former UN <b>...</b>