Arab League issues first condemnation of Syria violence

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

The Arab League has publicly criticised the violence in Syria for the first time, saying Arab states are "angry and actively monitoring" the crisis.

The comments from the outgoing secretary general, Amr Moussa, drew a bitter response from Damascus. Syria's representative at the league described them as "unbalanced and politically motivated".

Mounting international condemnation, however, has done little to slow the onslaught of the Syrian army as it pushes through northern border villages on an operation it claims is cleansing the area of criminal gangs. Residents of the town of Deir Azzor were reportedly bracing themselves on Tuesday night for the arrival of armour and troops from the Syrian military's feared 4th division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad.

The same division has been in control of the town of Jisr al-Shughour since Friday, forcing most remaining people in the besieged enclave to flee to the nearby mountains bordering Turkey.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/14/arab-league-condemnation-syria-violence

[Turborama]

1. Arab League issues first condemnation of Syria violence (Arab states "angry & actively monitoring")

Source: The Guardian

Martin Chulov in Beirut | Tuesday June 14 2011 18.49 BST -

The Arab League has publicly criticised the violence in Syria for the first time, saying Arab states are "angry and actively monitoring" the crisis.

The comments from the outgoing secretary general, Amr Moussa, drew a bitter response from Damascus. Syria's representative at the league described them as "unbalanced and politically motivated".

Mounting international condemnation, however, has done little to slow the onslaught of the Syrian army as it pushes through northern border villages on an operation it claims is cleansing the area of criminal gangs. Residents of the town of Deir Azzor were reportedly bracing themselves on Tuesday night for the arrival of armour and troops from the Syrian military's feared 4th division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad.

The same division has been in control of the town of Jisr al-Shughour since Friday, forcing most remaining people in the besieged enclave to flee to the nearby mountains bordering Turkey.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/14/arab-league-condemnation-syria-violence

[joshcryer]

2. About time.

Why are countries afraid of Russia and China?

[pampango]

3. BBC: Syria crisis: UN report condemns crackdown on protests

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13781069

Syrian troops trying to quash three months of protests are committing "alleged breaches of the most fundamental rights", says a UN report. The use of live ammunition against mostly unarmed civilians has killed around 1,100 people, says the report. It also documents arrests on a massive scale. Investigators believe as many as 10,000 people have been detained.

President Bashar al-Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family's 40-year ruling dynasty, as unrest that first erupted in the south of the country has now engulfed the north - near the border with Turkey - and is threatening to spread eastwards towards its border with Iraq.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has repeatedly appealed to Syria to let in a humanitarian team make a proper assessment, but the Syrian authorities have refused. But despite being denied access by the Syrian government, the new UN report documents reliable evidence of widespread violations, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.

"The most egregious reports concern the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians, including from snipers positioned on rooftops of public buildings and the deployment of tanks in areas densely populated by civilians," says the report. It cites "the excessive use of force in quelling demonstrators, arbitrary detentions, summary executions, torture".