Geithner: Stronger Syria sanctions needed Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said that the United States would back U.N. action against Syria. WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Wednesday urged increased sanctions in Syria in the wake of a massacre that left more than 100 people dead. In prepared remarks to The Syrian People International Working Group On Sanctions meeting in Washington, Geithner warned the United States would back a U.N. Chapter 7 action -- which allows the Security Council to take action to restore "international peace and security" -- if Syrian President Bashar Assad fails to implement the peace plan pushed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Strong sanctions, effectively implemented and aggressively enforced, can help deprive the Syrian regime of the resources it needs to sustain itself and to continue its repression of the Syrian people ... . And strong sanctions can help hasten the day the Assad regime relinquishes power," Geithner said. Our task is to impose maximum financial pressure on the Assad regime and its supporters, as quickly as we can and as effectively as we can, to stop their violence and to yield to conscience and to peaceful political change. More than 55 countries were represented at the gathering. White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to San Francisco the United States is "constantly looking for ways to work with our international partners to further isolate and pressure Assad, to get him to cease the brutal campaign against the Syrian people, and to allow for the political transition that's already under way to be completed." Last week, Syrian government forces were blamed for an attack on the village of Houla that left 108 people dead, including 49 children. Annan has warned the country is on the brink of civil war.