JERUSALEM: UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon urges action to halt the civilian deaths in Syria

Record ID: 280180

  • Title: JERUSALEM: UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon urges action to halt the civilian deaths in Syria
  • Date: 2nd February 2012
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (FEBRUARY 1, 2012) (REUTERS POOL) (** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON AND ISRAELI PRESIDENT SHIMON PERES WALKING, SHAKING HANDS VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS SHAKING HANDS BAN SIGNING GUEST BOOK PERES WATCHING MORE OF BAN SIGNING GUEST BOOK VARIOUS OF PERES AND BAN IN WORK MEETING BAN AND PERES WALKING TO PODIUM AHEAD OF N
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem, Jerusalem
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9EQ82ILJ8JONC14LN34MJW2KY
  • Story Text: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday (February 1) called for immediate action to end the bloodshed in Syria.
    Ban said he supports political process, but the time had past and action was needed to stop the violence. The UN head hoped for progress on a draft resolution being discussed by the Security Council.
    "I know that still Security Council members are engaging to narrow the differences of their opinions. They fully understood the seriousness and urgency of these issues and I understand that they are working on a draft resolution. I sincerely hope that they will be able to take the necessary actions," the Secretary General said. "We cannot wait any longer until political process is finished, while many people are being killed. While I fully support the political solution of this issue that is quite advisable. But first and foremost we have to take necessary action so that we will not lose any more human lives. Therefore, first all violence must stop, and I sincerely hope that this will be leading to a political solution," Ban stressed during a news conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
    Earlier in the day Russia signalled it would veto a draft U.N. resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down unless it explicitly ruled out military intervention in the bloodshed touched off by protests against his rule. Escalating violence in Syria has killed thousands of people and activists say Assad's forces have stepped up operations against opposition strongholds across the country this week, from the Damascus suburbs to the cities of Hama and Homs and the border provinces of Deraa and Idlib.
    Arab and Western states urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday (January 31) to act swiftly on a resolution calling for Assad to delegate powers to his deputy and defuse the 11-month-old uprising against his family's dynastic rule. But Moscow's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said there was no chance the Western-Arab draft text could be accepted unless it precisely rejected armed intervention.
    Russia and China, both veto-wielding Security Council members, have resisted a Western push for a resolution condemning the Syrian government's crackdown on unrest.
    Ban arrived to the region for a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, in an effort to persuade both sides to continue exploratory talks aimed at resuming peace negotiations.
    The talks ended in Jordan on Jan. 25 without achieving any progress and Palestinian officials said President Mahmoud Abbas planned to consult fellow Arabs on his next move.
    "The peace negotiations is encountering natural differences, its not the end of it. It may take time, we shall have to struggle," assured Peres during the news conference.
    After his meeting with Peres, Ban held a working lunch meeting with Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Later on Wednesday Ban is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
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