The U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan is headed to Moscow for talks on a new Security Council response to the ongoing violence in Syria. Speaking during a visit to Lebanon, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns called for new pressure on the Assad regime.

William Burns: “We need to act now through a new United Nations Security Council resolution in New York, which carries consequences for the Syrian regime’s continuing and increasingly violent noncompliance with its obligations. It is long past time to begin a democratic transition to a post-Assad Syria, to a future that reflects the legitimate aspirations of the brave and determined Syrian people.”