Clinton Appeals for All Syrians to Abandon Assad U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is appealing to Syrians in the military and business who are still supporting President Bashar Assad to abandon the embattled leader. Clinton said at a news conference in Morocco on Sunday that she had a message for those holdout backers. A large Syrian flag is displayed as Moroccans and Syrian expatriates gesture during a protest in solidarity with the Syrian people, in Casablanca, Morocco, Sunday, Feb. 26. In an effort to jolt Syria's president into accepting demands for a democratic transition, more than 60 nations give the U.N. a green light to begin planning a civilian peacekeeping mission after the Assad regime stops its bloody crackdown on the opposition. She said "the longer you support the regime's campaign of violence against your brothers and sisters, the more it will stain your honor. If you refuse however to prop of the regime or take part in attacks ... your countrymen and women will hail you as heroes. Activists estimate that close to 7,500 people have died in the 11 months since the Assad crackdown began. U.S., European and Arab officials are trying to develop a unified strategy to push Assad from power.