Hillary meets Syrian activists as pressure mounts

The US has weighed new sanctions on Syria, one of the few options at hand to protest a deadly crackdown on opposition demonstrators.The meeting came amid mounting calls at the United Nations and in Congress for action against President Bashar Assad’s regime, which has intensified the months-old crackdown despite growing international condemnation. Syrian troops on Tuesday tightened their grip on the city of Hama, sending residents fleeing for their lives.Clinton assured the activists that the US administration was pursuing additional sanctions against the government and no inclination to use military force in Syria. She said the need for a strong UN response was clear given the growing evidence that the Assad regime was prepared to use disproportionate and extraordinary violence against civilians.