Human rights boss slates regime
New York – The top United Nations human rights official accused the Syrian regime yesterday of perpetrating crimes against humanity as Western leaders backed an Arab League plan to send a peacekeeping force.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, accused the Syrian Government of exploiting divisions within the UN Security Council ‘‘to crush dissent with overwhelming force’’. She said that more than 5400 people had been killed in the uprising.
Her scathing assessment is likely to put further pressure on China and Russia – which at the beginning of the month vetoed a UN resolution condemning Syria – to fall in line with Western and Arab opinion.
The Russian Foreign Minister said yesterday that Moscow was studying an Arab League plan for an international peacekeeping force in Syria, though the regime in Damascus rejected the proposal and vowed to push ahead with its bloody suppression of the uprising.
‘‘We are studying this initiative and expect our friends from the Arab states to provide us with a clarification of certain points,’’ said Sergei Lavrov, after the call for a joint Un-arab League peacekeeping force to try to end the violence. However, Russia said that it had reservations about the proposal.
‘‘You need to agree something resembling a ceasefire,’’ Lavrov said. ‘‘But the problem is that the
‘‘You need to agree something resembling a ceasefire . . . the armed groups that are fighting the Syrian regime do not answer to anyone.’’ Sergei Lavrov
armed groups that are fighting the Syrian regime do not answer to anyone.’’
The Arab League has called on the Syrian National Council, the umbrella group of the fractured opposition, to work for greater unity.
Britain welcomed the idea of the peacekeeping force.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: ‘‘Such a mission could have an important role to play in saving lives, providing the Assad regime ends the violence against civilians, withdraws its forces from towns and cities and establishes a credible ceasefire.’’
Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the European Union’s foreign policy and security chief, also welcomed the Arab League plan.
A Syrian government official rejected the Arab League plan as ‘‘a flagrant interference in the country’s internal affairs’’ and a violation of its national sovereignty’’, and vowed to ‘‘restore security’’ a reference to the Government’s military campaign to crush any opposition.