UN to Assess Humanitarian Case in Syria

The United Nations announced on Thursday that a team will be sent to Syria to assess the humanitarian situation in wake of the violent crackdown on protesters nationwide.

Valerie Amos, head of UN Humanitarian Affairs, told the council that the team would need unrestricted access to all areas of Syria in order to carry out the mission.

UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay told members of the council that human rights violations may have taken place and suggested the case be presented at the International Criminal Court.

“The Syrian government has not changed course. And in fact, if anything, its actions over the last two weeks have escalated, and those actions as we've heard before and as we've heard again today, amount to violent attacks against overwhelmingly peaceful and cross-sectarian groups of protesters. And we heard from Navi Pillay for example that there is clear evidence of a shoot to kill policy,” said Philip Parham, UK’s deputy ambassador to the UN.

The head of European Union foreign policy, Catherine Ashton, said that the group would come up with a broader range of sanctions, while the United States has already declared a freeze on Syrian assets, a ban on US investments in the country, and a ban on imports from Syria, including petroleum.

“As has been said by colleagues, we will start working immediately on a draft resolution that will include sanctions because we think that it's necessary to increase pressure on the Syrian government. You cannot ask the opposition to join in the dialogue while you are shooting people, you are taking people into custody, you are torturing them. That's not the way to conduct a kind of national dialogue,” said Miguel Berger, Germany’s deputy ambassador to the UN.

President Bashar Al Assad on Thursday informed UN chief Ban Ki-moon in a phone conversation that military operations in Syria had been halted.

About 2,000 people have died in the violent crackdown since the uprising began mid-March, according to the UN.

Speakers:

Philip Parham - UK’s deputy ambassador to the UN
Miguel Berger – Germany’s deputy ambassador to the UN