UN Sec-Gen calls for end to violence in Syria

By Christine Joy Sarmiento

Tuesday 29th of May 2012

MANILA, May 29 (PIA) -- Armed violence in all its forms in Syria must cease at once.

This was the statement made by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in a May 27 letter to Agshin Mehdiyev, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations and President of the Security Council, following the recent massacre of almost 100 people, including women and children, in the El-Houleh area in Homs province.

He called on the Syrian government to cease from using heavy weapons in populated areas, and to fulfill its responsibility to protect its civilians, even as he urged the armed opposition to refrain from taking reenge and keep its commitment not to resort to armed violence.

“I sincerely hope that the Syrian leadership will take this opportunity to fundamentally change course and choose diplomacy over guns to ensure that the legitimate aspirations for freedom, dignity and prosperity of the Syrian people are met,” the Ban Ki-Moon said.

The United Nations has reported that violence against civilian population and clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups in various parts of Syria have escalated in the past few days. The gravest of which, the UN said, was the attacks which took place in El-Houleh from May 25 to 26. Local residents said that 116 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded.

UN said that observers and human rights experts who visited the conflict area have seen gunshot wounds and wounds consistent with artillery fire among the corpses. The team also saw artillery and tank shells, fresh tank tracks and buildings destroyed by heavy weapons. Among the observers were members of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS). (UN)