Twelve days after the ceasefire came into effect, UN envoy Kofi Annan said violence in Syria was “unacceptable”, calling for rapid deployment of 300 ceasefire monitors in the country.
Talking about the situation, Annan said it was "bleak" and "unacceptable".The special envoy said he was "particularly alarmed" at claims that government forces had entered Hama after a visit by UN monitors and killed "a significant" number of people.
"If confirmed this is totally unacceptable and reprehensible", he told the Security Council, according to AFP.
A day earlier, militants assassinated a retired Lieutenant Colonel and his brother in Jedaydet al-Fadel, SANA reported.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, armed group planted an explosive device under a car near Yelbagha complex in al-Marjeh area in Damascus, injuring the car driver.
FRAGILE TRUCE
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| militants planted an explosive device under a car, injuring the driver |
Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi noted the truce remained "extremely fragile", urging halt to the violence in the country. "This means withdrawal of all heavy armory from population centers," he told UN broadcaster UNTV.
The spokesman also said that halting the usage of heavy weapons did not take place.
Fawzi said UN observers on the ground had entered areas like Hama and the battered city of Homs to its south and found that when they were there "the guns are silent" but when they left "credible reports" indicated that fire resumed.
On the other hand, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said it would take a month to get the first 100 of the 300-member full force into Syria."All council members underscored the need for more rapid deployment of observers," US ambassador Susan Rice told reporters.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday gave the go-ahead for the deployment of an enlarged team of 300 ceasefire monitors from next week.
Ban insisted the Assad government ensure the protection of the unarmed observers and allow them to travel freely throughout the country.
Source: Agencies
25-04-2012 - 10:11 Last updated 25-04-2012 - 10:11
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