United Nations investigators have accused the Syrian regime of crimes against humanity, indicating President Bashar al-Assad himself should face prosecution.
By Richard Spencer, in Tunis and Adrian Blomfield
8:16PM GMT 23 Feb 2012
95 Comments
A commission of inquiry answering to the UN Human Rights Council said it had compiled a confidential list of those "up to the highest levels" who had ordered the shooting dead of unarmed women and children, shelling of residential areas and torturing of wounded protesters in hospital.
It released its findings on Thursday as Western and Arab League diplomats and Syrian opposition figures gathered in Tunis to hammer out proposals to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to quit.
Kofi Annan, the former UN chief and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was appointed joint envoy for the talks.
One option reportedly under consideration by the "Friends of Syria" was presenting a 72-hour ultimatum to Mr Assad that diplomats said would include as yet unspecified punitive measures, likely to include toughened sanctions.
According to a leaked draft declaration, the meeting will call on Syria to implement an immediate ceasefire to allow aid groups to deliver relief supplies to areas worst hit by the violence.
Related Articles
_ Syria: wounded journalists' YouTube pleas for help - 23 Feb 2012
_ long before Assad’s allies see sense? - 23 Feb 2012
It also "recognised the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative of Syrians seeking peaceful democratic change", a phrase which appeared to fall short of full endorsement of the most prominent group opposed to Mr Assad.
Tunisia's presidential spokesman meanwhile said the host country would propose a political solution to the crisis involving a peacekeeping force.
Adnan Mancer, a presidential spokesman, said Tunisia would propose to the "Friends of Syria" conference for a Yemen-style transition, where the president stepped down.
He said Tunisia was ready to take part in the peacekeeping force to back "a political solution because we totally oppose a foreign military intervention."
Urgent discussions on precisely what challenge to present to Damascus continued throughout the day on the sidelines of the London Conference on Somalia between William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, and officials from about a dozen of the more than 70 nations and international organizations expected at the Tunis meeting.
Although more than 7,000 people are believed to have been killed since the uprising against Mr Assad 11 months ago, Britain and the US continue to insist that military intervention is not on the agenda, despite the pleas of Syrian opposition exiles.
Mr Hague said he would be arguing for more specific measures to be taken, without providing details, adding to speculation that the provison of arms or logistical assistance to the rebels was beginning to be discussed.
"I think part of that has to be tightening a diplomatic and economic stranglehold on the Assad regime," Mr Hague told the BBC.
At least 52 people were killed yesterday in Syria, the youngest being a four-year-old girl. Tanks were seen advancing into Baba Amr, the district where Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times journalist, and Remi Ochlik, a French photographer, were killed on Wednesday, signalling the possible beginning of a ground offensive to reclaim the district from the lightly-armed rebels holding it.
The international outrage caused by the mounting death toll has so far failed to persuade Mr Assad to call a halt to the offensive which appears aimed to crush the opposition into submission.
He cannot be referred to the International Criminal Court so long as he has the backing of Russia and China, who can use their veto in the UN Security Council.
But the UN inquiry's findings, handed to the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, will put more pressure on those countries to come up with their own solution to the crisis.
It said four intelligence and security agencies which report to Mr Assad personally "were at the heart of almost all operations" in putting down the uprising.
"A reliable body of evidence exists ... to believe that particular individuals, including commanding officers and officials at the highest levels of government, bear responsibility for crimes against humanity and other gross human rights violations," it concluded.
Western ministers will be eager to hear the proposals of the Arab League on how to increase pressure on Syria. The League has threatened sanctions against the regime, and set out its own proposals for a transition of power which Damascus has rejected.
As with Libya, the US, Britain and France, the three leading voices, will be reluctant to go further on recognising the opposition or supplying weapons without Arab League support.
The most likely scenario, should that come about, is for the Nato powers to provide logistical and humanitarian assistance to the rebels, while Arab League powers such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar supply arms.
A US State Department official was asked on the question of arms supplies: "Are you guys going to talk about it with the door closed and just not tell anybody?"
He replied: "What has brought together so many countries and organizations is sending a unified message to Bashar al-Assad that he's on the wrong path, is this desire for a political solution and to respond to the immediate [needs] of the Syrian people."
***
Showing 1-25 of 95 comments
angrygeczy
22 minutes ago
Who cares? If the Syrians are cutting each other's throats, at least they won't be out mischief-making internationally. Better Assad than some Islamic theocracy. Democracy patently isn't in tune with the Arab way of thinking. If we do intervene on humanitarian grounds, give it two weeks then Western Lefties will round on their governaments screaming "colonialism!". Let them rot, but don't spend my tax dollars on thoses loonies.
AlenLemone
20 minutes ago
I scream: hypocrisy, and I'm certainly not a lefty
ward
Today 10:41 AM
Assad and his family are criminals, and should be treated so.
SamChuckie
51 minutes ago
The rebels are the criminals and they deserve to be treated as such, not only by Assad but by the rest of the world.
AlenLemone
Today 10:46 AM
" Assad and his family are criminals, and should be treated so."
Agreed.
But so should people in the west for killing far more civilians than Assad ever did. We don't want to be accused of having double standards now, do we?
King
Today 10:28 AM
'United Nations investigators'. How come? they did not enter the country & have nobody on the ground. It is very clear now that they are cooking & falsifying the books. What a bunch of liars.
AlenLemone
Today 10:27 AM
Regarding western media:
Syrian Catholic Church has offered strong criticism of the Western media coverage of the conflict there.
“Regarding the media, I can tell you that we Christians--I don’t know if
I express the feelings and the thoughts of all Christians--but since I
have been following this situation, we feel that we have been deceived
by the Western nations,” said Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III
http://www.catholicculture.org..
Manplant
3 minutes ago
And you trust the Syrian Catholic Church?
Do you think any Syrian religious institution is independent thinking and free?
Don't you realise all Syrian religious institutions are in the pockets and under control of the Assad's?
Would Jesus approve of Mr. Assad?
SyrianCitezen
24 minutes ago
Thank you!!!!!!!
Jeshurun
Today 09:51 AM
so the dictators, despots and demagogues that comprise the UN have decided in their infinite wisdom that after 10 months of mass murder, Assad should be charged.
and there I was thinking the UN was a waste of time
pavster
Today 09:43 AM
Notice a pattern here, all muslim/arab nations are/were lead by dictators, why is that?
bedwin
Today 09:27 AM
Alen Lemon
Sorry but "SHABIAHA" are not welcome here
only free fair and clean people are
AlenLemone
Today 09:32 AM
bedwin
What's a "SHABIAHA"?
The concept of "Democracy" seems to be lost on you.
It involves free press (not this one sided propaganda), and democratically elected representatives.
Thumbs up for Assad to go.
But ONLY through a democratic process of election by the Syrian people, and NOT by another bloody military intervention by western governments
treehugger
Today 09:43 AM
I've read your comments and you seem to be a little misguided. The fact that US troops have committed atrocities in the past, from Vietnam to wherever, is neither here nor there.
The Syrian military are using heavy weapons in a built up area resulting in the death of innocent civilians.
You must agree that this is wrong and should be condemned.
AlenLemone
Today 09:51 AM
"You must agree that this is wrong and should be condemned. "
Absolutely.
But, condemned by whom?
The same people that continue to commit atrocities far worse than the ones in question? A bit hypocritical, don't you think?
As I said before: I also think Assad should go, but not - only to be replaced by another tyrant which is more friendly to the west.
And even if it is so, let the Syrian people decide through an election. Let's press for that. Not for another military intervention.
You would think that after all the fiascoes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt etc. people would learn to THINK before they act...
AlenLemone
Today 09:36 AM
Oh, in a democracy...it is also essential to hear other people's opinions. Another thing that you need to consider.
This vis-a-vis your "not welcome here" remark.
bedwin
Today 08:38 AM
IT IS VERY SAD THAT ASSAD "SHABIAHA" HAVE INFILTRATED THE DT TO DISTORT THING AND DEFEND THEIR MASTER
AlenLemone
Today 08:45 AM
Uuups.
Caps lock is on.
bedwin
Today 08:37 AM
LONG OVER DUE THIS FAMILY OF MASS KILLERS (DAD KILLED 50 THOUSANDS PEOPLE IN HAMA IN 1982) AND SON AND BROTHER ARE REPEATING THAT --- THEY MUST BE STOPPED FOR HUMANITY SAKE
barometer
Today 08:33 AM
The Syrian war is succeeding to divert people's attention away from war crimes being committed by the Israelis against defenceless Palestinians.
salfordlad
Today 10:28 AM
BS
WTF
the same "palestinians" that celebrated, in the streets, the death of 3000+ on 9/11 , the ones whose rockets are still falling on israel but that does not get reported, have voted in islamic fundamentalists hezbollah the enemies of the west , who never mentioned once during hte ottoman empire the desire for independance and 1st refer to it after 1948
all a load of arab lies and a desire for the spread of islam
defenceless lol ; led by leaders over last 40 years that make assad look like a reasonable arab leader
yes lets not forget about them
or
every christian murdered in the muslim arab world and africa recently by muslims
or the philipinnes or thailand
or the fear of syrian christians about the potential rise of islam in syria post assad
or every tamil sri lankan murdered and massacred
never forget to put israel 1st
the only place in entire ME christians can pray openly
the only place in the entire ME a muslim can stand up and criticise the governemnt without fear of being murdered
yes my friend you are right lets not forget assad is doing all this for his friend israel to distract attention away from those poor defenceless muslim arab hezzbollah voting "palestinains"
allah akbar my friend allah akbar
lizzyharris
Today 10:21 AM
You're a liar, there are no "war crimes" being committed by Israel against anyone.
And aren't you on the wrong site? Your profile indicates that you usually spend all your time posting on the BNP forum. That says it all really.
breiz
Today 10:43 AM
And your profile indicates a selective memory
Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
The Guardian,
Tuesday 13 January 2009
Article history
A freelance filmmaker in Gaza shot this material for Save the
Children at a UN-supported school for pupils displaced from their homes
by the Israeli bombings Link to this video
Israel is facing growing demands from senior UN officials and human rights groups for an international war crimes investigation in Gaza
over allegations such as the "reckless and indiscriminate" shelling of
residential areas and use of Palestinian families as human shields by
soldiers.
With the death toll from the 17-day Israeli assault on
Gaza climbing above 900, pressure is increasing for an independent
inquiry into specific incidents, such as the shelling of a UN school
turned refugee centre where about 40 people died, as well as the
question of whether the military tactics used by Israel systematically
breached humanitarian law.
AlenLemone
Today 10:30 AM
"Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza
"
Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl...
salfordlad
Today 10:41 AM
lol
the guardian
lol
a mouthpiece for all the most virulent hatred of israel anywhere
the war crime for the guardian is defending itself against militant islam
-will be visiting the west shortly-
very objective reporting lol
(Edited by author 1 hour ago)
_____________
WHAT DO YOU THINK ?
Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .
conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
24022012
___________
CSVN là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC
No comments:
Post a Comment