Protest in Homs

"LandepNews"

Protest in Homs

Syrian opposition reported that governmental troops and “pro-governmental thugs” rounded up tens of civilians and children in the city of Homs, assaulted men and women, killed them and then set some of the bodies on fire. The government has denied it, and placed the blame on the rebels, which it called “terrorist armed groups,” a name ascribed to those protesting Assad’s regime since the first moment of the unrest.
One of the neighborhoods in Homs where killings were reported was Karm al-Zeitoun, where an eye witness told the New York Times by phone that 500 “athletically built individuals” killed dozens of men, women and children.
A man that escaped the torture and the killing says on Youtube that they were arrested by the army and then handed over to shabiha, the pro-governmental thugs, which beat them for two hours, after which they poured fuel in them and shot 30 to 40 persons.
The killing, which has already been named a “massacre,” comes a day after the U.N. special envoy, Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations, left Damascus without having reached an agreement with the Syrian leaders.
The U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton is calling for Russia and China to support a new resolution that would condemn the crimes committed in Syria, and would allow the international community to intervene and help those who need help.
Clinton put the blame for what was happening in Syria on Bashar al-Assad, and said that Russia must support the “humanitarian and political efforts” to end violence in Syria. While agreeing that the first step to be taken in Syria is ending violence, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that there are rebel groups that are also to blame for the violence, and that added that the United Nations must act without imposing any “prejudged solutions.”
It was the first time Sergei Lavrov agreed on behalf of Russia that the authorities in Syria bore a huge responsibility for what happens there, and that the fire must cease and the relief workers must be allowed to do their jobs.
Russia and China had opposed two of the previous UNSC resolutions on Syria, Russia because it did not want that the resolution contain condemnations and China because it is against interfering in domestic affairs of other countries.
Russia said that what happened in Libya must not happen in Syria, and opposed the two resolutions on the ground that they could lay the path for a military intervention. Besides, Russia insisted that the blame be distributed equally to both the government and the rebels, and that a cease-fire force the rebels to leave their positions too.
The new draft of resolution is constructed so that the Russians be pleased, as it demands that the cease-fire be implemented by the governmental troops first and by the rebels immediately after.
The State Secretary had a meeting with Lavrov, which she called “constructive.” She added that Sergei Lavrov would convey her very strong view of the conflict to the decision-makers in Moscow, and that she hoped unity could be achieved to avoid the internal conflicts in Syria, which would have major consequences for the entire region.
The Syrian National Council, the body gathering the Syrian opposition in exile, issued a statement during a meeting in Istanbul, in which outside international military intervention was demanded to stop the killing. SNC urged the Western countries to arm the Free Syrian Army, a group composed of the defectors from the army.
The council stated that “words are no longer enough to satisfy the Syrian people,” and demanded that the Arab states and the international community intervene in the country to stop Assad’s “gangs.”
Some of the members of the SNC said that sectarian and ethnic cleansing were being conducting in Homs, with the aim of driving people away from the city and determine them to flee home.
The offensive the army carried in the province of Idlib caused about 12,000 people to have fled to Turkey, for the second time since the unrest began. Turkey has specifically asked the international community that a humanitarian corridor be created in order for the aid to come to the people in need.
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has issued a report that lists names of Syrian officials that could be indicted for crimes against humanity in the battled country. The U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon stressed out that the Syrian government has failed to provide the security to its people and in stead is guilty of disproportionate use of force.

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