U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Thursday that the United States continues to back UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria, and dismissed talk of a military solution to the conflict there.
"Right now, we are focused on supporting Kofi Annan, reaching out both inside and outside of Syria, bringing together those most directly affected, particularly in the region," Clinton said at a joint news conference with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal following their meeting.
The comments were made during Clinton's
first visit to Denmark
as Secretary of State, during which she discussed security cooperation and
green growth initiatives with the Danish government. 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal (not in the picture) following their meeting in Copenhagen, May 31, 2012. Hillary Clinton said here Thursday that the United States continues to back UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria, and dismissed talk of a military solution to the conflict there.(Xinhua/Yang Jingzhong)
Clinton expressed "horror" at last week's mass killings of 108 people, including children, in Syria's Houla, saying that those responsible had to be "held to account."
She said a unified international voice is needed to increase pressure on the Syrian government "from both inside and outside."
Clinton noted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had not implemented the peace plan brokered by Annan, but acknowledged that the presence of UN military observers in Syria has helped reduce the violence in areas where observers are present.
Clinton stopped short of endorsing any kind of outside intervention in Syria, but said that should an international coalition be formed to help the Syrian people, the United States would seek broad consensus for it.
"If there were such an international coalition to do anything to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, we would certainly reach out as broadly as possible and be consulting closely with the Danish government (on it)," she said, responding to journalists' questions.
Russia has rejected a military option, warning that would lead to a civil war in the country.
Syria has witnessed conflict since February 2011, which has pitted government forces against opposition groups. Over 9,000 persons have been killed in the violence, according to UN estimates.
Addressing the Israel-Palestinian issue, Clinton said the United States firmly supported the two-state solution and urged both sides to "get to the table" and to take the opportunity to pursue a "negotiated resolution."
She added the "new coalition government in Israel provides the best opportunity in several years to reach such a negotiated agreement."
During her visit, which ran Wednesday to Thursday, Clinton also met with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and had a private audience with Denmark's Queen Margrethe II.
Clinton will head to Oslo and Stockholm later Thursday, before traveling to Turkey and the Caucasus region.
(VietNamNet/Xinhuanet)
