The United States welcomed the decision of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to suspend Syria's membership in the group because of the violence President Bashar al-Assad has carried out against his own people, the State Department said Thursday. In a statement, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Syria's suspension “sent a strong message" to the Assad regime. “Today's action underscores the Assad regime's increasing international isolation and the widespread support for the Syrian people and their struggle for a democratic state that represents their aspirations and respects their human rights," Nuland said.
