French Foreign minister Alain Juppe voices international concern over Syria. Picture: AFP
THE UN’s top human rights body will call today for Syria to end all attacks on civilians and allow aid groups unhindered access to the city of Homs and other besieged areas.
A draft UN Human Rights Council resolution agreed by diplomats last night condemns “widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities,” saying they have worsened the humanitarian situation in the country.
Western diplomats said opponents of a hard line on Syria, such as Russia, are likely to vote against the resolution when the 47-nation council meets today.
“The task of the council is to express the disgust of the entire world at the odious crimes that the Syrian state is committing against its people,” Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, said yesterday at the opening of the Geneva-based body’s four-week session, which was dominated by the issue of Syria.
Mr Juppe called for countries to prepare to submit a complaint against Syria to the International Criminal Court in The Hague., adding: “The day will come when the civilian and military authorities in Syria, in particular president Assad himself, will need to answer for their actions.”
A panel of UN experts issued a report last week concluding that Syrian government officials were responsible for crimes against humanity committed by security forces against opposition members.
Yesterday Syrian artillery continued to pound rebel-held areas of Homs as president Bashar al-Assad’s government announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution in a referendum derided as a sham by critics of his regime at home and abroad.
While foreign powers argued over whether to arm the rebels, the Syrian interior ministry said the reformed constitution – which could keep Mr Assad in power until 2028 – had received 89.4 per cent approval from more than eight million voters.
Officials put national voter turnout at close to 60 per cent, but diplomats who toured polling stations in Damascus saw only a handful of voters at each location. On the same day, at least 59 people were killed in violence around the country.
Qatar joined Saudi Arabia in advocating arming Syrian rebels, given that Russia and China have twice used their vetoes to block any action by the United Nations Security Council.
Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said: “I think we should do whatever is necessary to help them, including giving them weapons to defend themselves.”
Mr Assad says he is fighting foreign-backed “armed terrorist groups” and his main allies – Russia, China and Iran – fiercely oppose any outside intervention which would add him to the list of Arab autocrats unseated by popular revolts in the past year.
China yesterday called American policy in the region “super-arrogant” and Vladimir Putin warned against action that bypassed the UN Security Council.
Shells and rockets crashed into Sunni Muslim districts of Homs that have already endured weeks of bombardment as Mr Assad’s forces, led by officers from his minority Alawite sect, try to stamp out an almost year-long revolt.
“Intense shelling started on Khalidiya, Ashira, Bayada, Baba Amro and the old city at dawn,” opposition activist Mohammed al-Homsi said from the city. “The army is firing from the main thoroughfares deep into alleyways and side streets.”
The European Union agreed more sanctions, targeting Syria’s central bank and several cabinet ministers, curbing gold trading with state entities and banning cargo flights from the country.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the measures were meant to “increase the stranglehold” on Damascus.
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment