12.00 – SYRIA: international community must act in unison, says Terzi. Annan meets with Syrian opposition (SNC): we’ll disarm if the repression stops
“The Syrian regime is vicious and politically blind. The international community must act in unison and without further delay. Stop the massacres”, tweets Minister Giulio Terzi, while UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan meets in Turkey with the Syrian opposition who promise “full political cooperation” and say that “if the repression ceases”, and “the Syrian free army will suspend combat”.
12 March 2012
The repression in Syria shows no sign of letting up. The Syrian National Council (SNC) has reported new incidents of violence against women and children in the city of Homs, and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke of the regime’s “disproportionate” use of force in some cities, urging observance “within a few days” of the UN and Arab League proposals calling essentially for an immediate halt to the violence, access for humanitarian operators and political dialogue.
The proposals were presented in Damascus by UN and Arab League Special Envoy Kofi Annan to President Bashar Al Assad, but resulted in no agreement. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke of “cynicism” on the part of Assad, who received Kofi Annan while government forces “continued the massacres” in various of the country’s cities.
French foreign minister Alain Juppè launched an appeal to “China and Russia to listen to the Arab voices” on the Syrian question, and stated that the Damascus regime “will have to answer for its acts before the law”. Russian minister Sergej Lavrov expressed concern over the situation, but also warned about the possibility of “the spread of conflict” beyond Syria that could result from “hasty demands for a change of regime”.
Italy’s priority, as Minister Giulio Terzi has repeatedly asserted, is to ensure aid to the “suffering” population, bring relief to devastated cities such as Homs and stop the use of “this tactic of the systematic destruction of each individual rebellion against the power of Assad”. Italian diplomacy is working, not least within the framework of the UN, toward the adoption of a “humanitarian truce and access to humanitarian convoys”.
Meanwhile UNESCO approved a resolution, with Italy’s yes vote, condemning the violence in Syria. After citing “the broad and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities”, the Executive Council urged the Syrian government to immediately halt the violence and come to the defence of its population. UNESCO referred in particular to its own spheres of activity, i.e. the protection of schools, students, teachers and journalists, and freedom of the press, where substantial violations have also been reported in Syria.
