The United States is determined to increase pressure on Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to make him stand down, the US envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday. "The situation in Syria remains dire, especially for the millions who continue to endure daily attacks and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance," ambassador Susan Rice told reporters after a Security Council briefing by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. "The United States remains focused on increasing the pressure on the Assad regime and on Assad himself to step down," Rice said. [Source]