Ottawa weighs observers for UN mission in Syria

Canada seeks assurances over safety

The federal government is considering sending observers to a UN monitoring mission in Syria, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird confirmed Tuesday.

The UN Security Council approved on Saturday the deployment of up to 300 unarmed observers to monitor the tenuous ceasefire that has been in place there since April 12.

Baird’s comments came amid reports of UN observers coming under fire in Syria.

The federal government is weighing whether Canada should contribute observers to a UN monitoring mission in Syria, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has confirmed.

“We’re looking at the proposition, what sorts of skill sets would be required,” Baird told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. “Cer- tainly, we’re open to it.”

The UN Security Council approved on Saturday the deployment of up to 300 unarmed observers to monitor the tenuous ceasefire that has been in place between the Syrian military and rebel forces since April 12.

The plan is intended to help end 13 months of violence that has gripped the Middle Eastern country since pro-democracy activists rose up against President Bashar Assad’s regime last year. The UN estimates the death toll over that period at 9,000.

Despite the ceasefire, sporadic fighting has continued, with more than 70 people reported killed over the past two days.

This came as an advance group

We’re looking at the proposition, what sorts of skill sets would be required.

JOHN BAIRD

of UN observers arrived in the rebel stronghold of Homs on Monday.

Baird did not say how close the federal government was to making a decision on whether to contribute to the monitoring mission.

“But before we send Canadians, we want some assurances that they will be safe and those are the discussions we’re having now with our allies and others on this issue,” he said.

There have been reports of UN observers coming under fire in Syria.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar expressed support for such a decision.

“It was difficult to get the motion through the Security Council and if we’re serious about the situation in Syria and we’re serious about supporting the UN, we should offer (observers),” he said.

“It would be responsible, it would be smart and it would be helpful if we did offer support for the UN mission.”

Last week, Baird had pledged Canadian support for the mission if approved by the UN Security Council.

He did not provide any further details at that time.

Canada has previously called on Assad to step down from power and worked with Syria’s fractious opposition groups to present a credible and legitimate alternative in any post-assad era.

Canada and its allies have steadfastly dismissed any possibility of a Libya-style military intervention in Syria.