Clinton: Assad must implement peace plan immediately

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to delay on implementing a peace program.

Clinton held a news conference following the so-called "Friends of Syria" meeting of Western and Arab officials in Istanbul

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILARY CLINTON SAYING:

"So today we called for an immediate end to the killing in Syria and we urged the joint special envoy Kofi Annan to set a timetable for next steps. The world will not waiver. Assad must go and the Syrian people must be free to choose their own path forward."

Amateur video out of Syria which could not be independently verified by Reuters shows continued unrest in Syria.

Assad has accepted, but not yet implemented, Annan's six-point peace plan, which calls for the military to cease fire, withdraw from towns and cities, and allow humanitarian access.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 41 people killed across Syria Sunday. The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 have been killed in Syria since the uprising began more than than a year ago,.

The Assad government blames the violence on foreign backed insurgent groups.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters