The Hill News

The Syrian cabinet resigned on Tuesday in an effort to pacify fierce anti-government protests that appear to be spreading.

The Associated Press reported President Bashar Assad accepted the resignation of his 32-member cabinet, but will not relinquish power himself. Assad is also expected to lift emergency laws and other political restrictions in the coming days.

{mosads}It is unclear if the moves will satisfy the protesters, who have demonstrated against Assad for over two weeks. Government security forces have used violence to try to put down the protests. Over 60 people have died since the demonstrations began, the AP reported.

Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill and GOP opponents of President Obama have pressured him to intervene in Middle Eastern countries experiencing unrest such as Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, like the administration chose to do in Libya. 

But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this weekend that the U.S. has no plans to step into the Syrian unrest and Obama said in his speech on Libya Monday night that America cannot intervene in every instan! ce of oppression around the world. 

"It is true that America cannot use our military wherever repression occurs," Obama said. "And given the costs and risks of intervention, we must always measure our interests against the need for action."

Obama has strongly condemned the use of violence against citizens in Syria and other nations whose governments are facing protests.