Clinton: Syrian security could oust Assad

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has blasted Russia and China’s opposition to UN Security Council action on Syria, calling it “despicable”.

This came as Bashar al Assad’s forces pounded rebel-held areas in central Syria, killing at least 22 people, activists said.

In a move aimed at jolting the Syrian president and his allies into accepting demands for a democratic transition, over 60 nations asked the UN to plan a civilian peacekeeping mission that would deploy after the Damascus regime halted a brutal crackdown on the opposition.