West demands end to ‘slaughter’ in Syria
"There is no humanity in the world, because if there were, then we would not be in this situation." Bassem, an anaesthetist at one of Eastern Ghouta's beleaguered hospitals
SYRIA: Britain and its Western allies urged Russia yesterday to support calls to end the ‘‘brutal and merciless’’ assault on Eastern Ghouta, which has killed more than 400 civilians over five days of bombardment.
As Russian and Syrian regime warplanes continued to pummel the rebel-held suburb of Damascus, the United Nations Security Council in New York held an emergency meeting.
The UK, the United States and France called on Russia not to veto a resolution that would establish a 30-day nationwide ceasefire between Syrian rebel and regime forces and allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Eastern Ghouta and the evacuation of the wounded.
‘‘I am utterly appalled by the brutal and merciless violence that the Assad regime is inflicting on the people of Eastern Ghouta,’’ said Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary.
‘‘They are enduring a hell entirely of the making of Assad and his enablers.
‘‘The UK will press Russia to support a ceasefire to allow for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid. Protecting Syrians and getting them the lifesaving aid they need must be paramount,’’ Johnson said.
It was not immediately clear when the council would vote on the resolution, but diplomats were engaged in intense negotiations to try to craft the measure in such a way that Russia would not veto it.
Moscow has blocked several UN resolutions in the past seven years to shield its Syrian regime allies from international criticism.
Russia said it was prepared to consider the resolution as long as it made clear that any ceasefire agreement did not apply to either al Qaeda or Islamic State.
‘‘The resolution that is on the table, we are ready to look at it, but we have offered very precise phrasing,’’ said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russia told the UN Security Council yesterday ‘‘there is no agreement’’ yet on the resolution and that it was demanding amendments. Russia has often broadly accused Islamist rebels fighting against the Assad regime of being members of al Qaeda, an accusation that has derailed previous ceasefire efforts.
Several Western diplomats said they believed Russia would ultimately veto the resolution irrespective of any concessions made.
‘‘If everyone in this chamber were to commit unequivocally [to the resolution], it could have an impact on the ground,’’ Jonathan Allen, the deputy British ambassador, told the security council. ‘‘It could save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children being killed as we speak.’’
As diplomats gathered at the UN, the streets of Eastern Ghouta shook with the blasts of bombs and the roar of aircraft. ‘‘Anyone living in Eastern Ghouta is waiting for death,’’ said Omran Dumani, sheltering in a basement with his family.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 403 civilians had been killed since the bombardment began on Sunday, including 95 children. Activists said more than 100 strikes were carried out by jets and helicopters on top of artillery bombardment.
Bassem, an anaesthetist at one of Eastern Ghouta’s beleaguered hospitals, said he and others in the besieged enclave had long ago stopped paying attention to what happened at the UN.
‘‘All the people in Ghouta will tell you the same thing: the international community has abandoned us,’’ he said. ‘‘There is no humanity in the world, because if there were, then we would not be in this situation.’’
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