Syria refusing observers by nationality claims U.S.Situation ‘bleak’ says Annan.(AA).Syria has refused at least one U.N. military observer because of his nationality and has made clear it will not allow in U.N. staff from any country in the “Friends of the Syrian People” group, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Tuesday, as international envoy Kofi Annan called for the rapid deployment of 300 ceasefire monitors in the country. As many as 11 people have been killed by the gunfire of Syrian forces on Wednesday, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists. At least 32 people were killed across the country on Tuesday, Al Arabiya reported.
Speaking after U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous briefed the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said Ladsous told the 15-nation panel that Damascus was putting restrictions on the deployment of truce monitors. “Mr. Ladsous reported that the Syrian government has refused at least one observer based on his nationality, and that Syrian authorities have stated they will not accept UNSMIS staff members from any nations that are members of the ‘Friends of Democratic Syria’,” Rice told reporters, according to Reuters.
“He underscored that from the U.N.’s point of view, this is entirely unacceptable,” she said. The 14-nation “Friends” group includes the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, all of which have said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost his legitimacy because of his 13-month assault on pro-democracy protesters that has brought Syria to the brink of civil war. Rice also confirmed that Ladsous had told the council it would be another month before 100 of the maximum of 300 unarmed military observers who will comprise the U.N. monitoring mission reach Syria to help supervise the country's fragile 12-day-old ceasefire. She said council members considered the speed of the deployment too slow. UNSMIS -- the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria -- is to be deployed for an initial period of three months. Meanwhile, U.N.-Arab League envoy Annan called for the rapid deployment of 300 ceasefire monitors in Syria, in a briefing to the Security Council, a copy of which was obtained by Al Arabiya. Annan said Assad has still not fulfilled a promise to end violence and said the situation was “bleak” and “unacceptable.” The special envoy said he was “particularly alarmed” at reports that government forces had entered the city of Hama after a visit by U.N. monitors and killed “a significant” number of people. “If confirmed this is totally unacceptable and reprehensible,” he told the council. The Syrian League for Human Rights said nine activists were “summarily executed” by government forces in Hama on Monday, a day after they met U.N. observers in the city, according to AFP. Video footage posted online by activists showed a street in Hama’s Arbaeen neighborhood with large pools of blood and women weeping.Read the full story here.
