Troops attack rebel strongholds in Deraa

AMMAN — Syrian troops on Thursday attacked rebel strongholds in Deraa where the uprising against President Bashar al-assad erupted nearly a year ago, and t he UN chief said crimes against humanity had almost certainly been committed in Syria.

The assault on Deraa followed a thrust against rebels in the cities of Hama and Homs, which has faced nearly two weeks of bombardment f rom Assad’s forces, in an apparent campaign to crush the revolt against his repressive rule.

Assad has i nt e n s i - f i ed a crackdown on protesters and i nsurgents, while also setting a Feb. 26 referendum on a draft constitution that would formally end the Baath Party’s monopoly on power, to be followed by a multi-party parliamentary election.

Syria’s opposition and Western powers dismissed the promised reforms and UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon, speaking before a non- binding vote at the United Nations on a draft resolution aimed at increasing pressure on Assad, said crimes against humanity had almost definitely occurred in Syria.

“We see neighbourhoods shelled indiscriminately, hospitals used as torture centres, children as young as 10 years old jailed and abused. We see almost certain crimes against humanity,” he told reporters in Austria.

Ban later had talks with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe during which the UN l eader said the top priorities were to stop the violence and establish humanitarian access, a UN statement said.

He said all relevant UN agencies were coordinating efforts to provide relief to the Syrian people.

China, which along with Russia blocked a draft resolution at the UN Security Council on Feb. 4 backing an Arab call for Assad to step down, said it was sending a senior envoy to Syria.

“( C h i na) does not approve of the use of force to interfere in Syria or the forceful pushing of a socalled regime change,” Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said.

Zhai, who wi l l visit Syr i a on Friday, s aid China believed “sanctions or the threat of sanctions are not conducive to the appropriate resolution of this issue”.