Violence in Syria continues as UN holds debate

Feb 13, 2012, 18:49 GMT

Beirut - Syrian forces continued their assault on the country's most restive areas on Monday, as the diplomatic spotlight turned to New York, where the United Nations General Assembly was told that President Bashar al-Assad was behind 'crimes against humanity.'

The remarks, by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, suggested the official was preparing to make a case for al-Assad to be referred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Addressing the assembly, Pillay said the continued crackdown on pro-democracy activists was ordered with the complicity of government authorities 'at the highest level.'

Pillay said more than 5,400 people had been killed by December and more than 10,000 people injured, while an estimated 18,000 people had been detained by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Russia said it would study an Arab League proposal to send a peacekeeping force to the violence-racked country.

'A mission to support peace needs to have peace in place at the very beginning, that can be maintained,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in comments reported by the Interfax news agency.

On Sunday, the Arab League said it had agreed to open contacts with Syria's opposition and ask the United Nations to form a joint peacekeeping force to the nation.

'There must be an agreement on a ceasefire,' Lavrov said after meeting in Moscow with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The US agreed with Pillay on the human rights situation in Syria, with White House spokesman Jay Carney pointing to 'disgusting acts of violence' by the Syrian government.

He said in general terms, the US supports expanded Arab League efforts in Syria, including with UN or other support.

'We are discussing with the Arab League, the UN and our international partners, the circumstances in which a peacekeeping force - whether under Arab League, UN or other auspices - could help to maintain peace in Syria, starting with there being a peace to keep,' he said. 'Unfortunately, as you know, there is not one at this moment.'

The Arab League urged the 193-nation assembly in New York to adopt as soon as possible a Saudi Arabia-led draft, which contains demands that are similar to those found in a UN Security Council resolution that was vetoed by Russia and China on February 4. No veto is applied in the assembly.

A major provision in the draft calls for Damascus to begin a political transition to a multi-party, democratic system which would meet popular demands for freedoms.

Russia, a close ally of al-Assad and one of Syria's top arms suppliers, has been widely criticized by Western governments for its veto.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Monday met with the Arab ambassadors to the United Nations as well as the envoys to Egypt of the Security Council member states - China, Russia, France, Britain and the United States - at the league's headquarters in Cairo.

After the meeting, al-Arabi left for Germany, where he was to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday.

Damascus has already blasted the latest Arab League proposal, but Burhan Ghalioun, head of the opposition Syrian National Council, welcomed it, describing it as 'a first step' towards the fall of the regime.

Western countries like Britain and Germany also welcomed the proposal.

Meanwhile in Homs, at least 15 people were killed when government troops shelled heavily populated areas, activists said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said army defectors had managed to stop the troops from storming the area and killed three soldiers loyal to the regime.

Bahaa al Homsi, a resident of the Homs neighbourhood of Inshaat who recently arrived in Lebanon, told dpa that food and medical supplies were running out in Baba Amr and al-Khalidiyeh neighbourhoods.

'There is neither water nor electricity. Simply this regime is trying to starve their people to death,' he said.

Other activists based near the capital said six people, among them two women and two children, were killed in a suburb of Damascus by security forces when they stormed the area.