The situation on the ground in Syria grows increasingly dramatic: a half-destroyed Homs is under siege, while, as a result of the escalating violence, the 280 UN mission blue helmets are not to venture off their bases. In a press conference in Damascus, UN mission commander General Robert Mood said that in this high-risk situation the observers would suspend reconnaissance activities and remain on the base to await new orders, and that interaction with the parties on the ground would be limited.
Violence escalates
Over the past ten days, Mood said, we have seen an intensification in the armed violence in Syria. This escalation limits our ability to observe, verify and report, as well as to offer assistance in fostering dialogue and plans for stability. He intends to present a detailed report, by Tuesday, on the decision to suspend the observers mission until further notice, and asked that the parties on the ground “allow women, children, and the elderly and wounded to leave the conflict area – Homs in particular – unconditionally”.
Appeal to the Syrian National Council
The main opposition movement – the SNC – renewed its appeal to the United Nations to send in the blue helmets. The SNC called for “the rapid adoption of a resolution based on Chapter 7 (of the Charter) in such a way as to ensure the observers’ safety and force the Assad regime to put an end to the massacres”, by implementing the plan proposed by Kofi Annan, the international envoy who has been working for weeks on a crisis exit strategy.
Efforts on the diplomacy front
Efforts have also intensified on the political-diplomatic front. The United States announced it had launched consultations with international partners “on the next steps toward political transition in Syria, as called for in the UN Security Council resolution”, because, “the sooner the transition takes place the more chance there will be to avoid a bloody civil war”. And now in Los Cabos Mexico, where the G20 is meeting, US President Barack Obama plans to discuss Syria with his Russian Colleague Vladimir Putin and Chinese colleague Hu Jintao in the hopes of unlocking their resistance.