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UN Rights Chief Urges 'Humanitarian Cease-Fire' In Syria

February 28, 2012

United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay says the situation in Syria is "dire" and has called on President Bashar al-Assad's government to declare an immediate "humanitarian cease-fire."

Pillay, speaking at an emergency session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said she had received reports of a rapidly deteriorating situation and serious rights violations.

Government forces were reported pushing their assault on Homs and other flashpoints of antigovernment resistance. Scores of people have been reported killed this week as the shelling of Homs has continued.

Pillay accused the Syrian regime of "unspeakable violations" of human rights and urged Damascus to grant access to independent international observers and humanitarian teams.

She said some 500 children have been killed since the beginning of the revolt in Syria -- 80 of them in January.

"The human rights situation has deteriorated significantly since November 2011," she said. "[The report] found that the government has manifestly failed in its responsibility to protect the population; its forces have committed widespread, systematic and gross human rights violations, amounting to crimes against humanity, with the apparent knowledge and consent of the highest levels of the state."

Pillay reiterated her call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court, where officials could be pursued for alleged atrocities.

The Syrian delegation walked out of the meeting, with its leader, Faysal Khabbaz, calling the session a "sterile discussion."

'Widespread' Rights Violations

Reports say the 47-member Human Rights Council appears ready to back a draft resolution condemning the Syrian crackdown for "widespread and systematic" human rights violations.

Russia had suggested it could vote against the resolution, saying the debate must take place in a "constructive and depoliticized manner."

However, during the meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov urged Syria to cooperate with the Red Cross to allow the relief agency to deliver aid.

Iran, also one of Syria's allies, has lodged a formal objection to the debate in Geneva, but its observer status at the forum does not allow Tehran to vote against the resolution.

In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry said the United Nations Security Council was expected to start work on a potential new draft resolution aimed at incresing pressure to halt the violence in Syria and enable humanitarian access to victims.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said he felt "immense frustration" trying to get safety guarantees from Syrian authorities so that international relief works could evacuate people wounded in Homs and other areas targeted by government forces. Juppe also had strong words of criticism the legitimacy of a weekend referendum in Syria on constitutional referendums that were proposed by Assad.

"All limits of barbarity have already been exceeded," Juppe said. "The numbers, which have been authenticated by international organizations, show that we've had about 8,000 deaths, hundreds of children have been killed, even tortured. And all of us who see this spectacle feel profound indignation when we see the Syrian president parading around a polling station in Damascus for this phony referendum."

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said France hopes Russia and China will change their stance and not oppose a new UN Security Council resolution on Syria. The two permanent Security Council members vetoed a draft resolution proposed by the Arab League on the Syrian crisis on March 4.

One injured Western journalist -- photographer Paul Conroy, who works for Britain's "Sunday Times" -- was evacuated from Syria and was said to be safe in Lebanon on February 28. However, French reporter Edith Bouvier, who was also injured earlier this month, is apparently still in the flashpoint city of Homs.

Based on AP, AFP, dpa, AFP, and Reuters reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/syria_homs_red_cross_evacuation_referendum/24498354.html

Copyright (c) 2012. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.