The repression in Syria goes on, while new violence is reported against women and children in the city of Homs for which the Syrian National Council (SNC) has called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council; while special UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s appeals to President Bashar Al Assad in meetings in Damascus falls on deaf ears.
The former UN Secretary General said in a communiqué that he had focused discussions in Damascus on several fundamental objectives: the immediate cessation of the violence, access for humanitarian organisations and political dialogue. “I presented a series of concrete proposals that could have an impact on the real situation, telling Assad that my main concern was the well-being of the population and that we should put the people at the centre of our efforts”, Annan said.
As Minister Giulio Terzi has repeatedly maintained, Italy’s priority is also the assurance of aid to the “suffering” population, bringing in relief to devastated cities such as Homs, and stopping “this tactic of the systematic destruction of each individual rebellion against the power of Assad”. Italian diplomacy is at work, not least within the UN framework, on the adoption of a “humanitarian truce and allowing access to humanitarian convoys”. An initiative promoted in recent days in Brussels during the meeting of EU foreign ministers, who approved a new sanctions package, and who also met informally in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday. Danish foreign minister Willy Sovndal announced that the EU maintains the sanctions approach to the Damascus regime and is preparing others for the Foreign Affairs Council of 23 March next. Nei giorni scorsi il ministro degli esteri russo, Sergei Lavrov ed i rappresentanti della Lega Araba hanno elaborato un piano in cinque punti che prevede la cessazione delle violenze, il controllo neutrale, nessuna interferenza straniera, accesso ad assistenza umanitaria, appoggio alla missione di Kofi Annan nella sua mediazione tra le parti coinvolte. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and representatives of the Arab League have drafted a five-point plan calling for the cessation of violence, neutral observance, no foreign interference, access to humanitarian relief and support for the mission of Kofi Annan in his mediation efforts.
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. The resolution, jointly promoted by the EU member states and the Arab group, received 35 votes in favour, 8 against, with 14 abstentions.
