AUSTRIA: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls on Syrian authorities to stop killing civilians and says crimes against humanity may have been committed in the country

Record ID: 280261

  • Title: AUSTRIA: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls on Syrian authorities to stop killing civilians and says crimes against humanity may have been committed in the country
  • Date: 17th February 2012
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (FEBRUARY 16, 2012) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON AND AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT HEINZ FISCHER ARRIVING TO SPEAKER'S PODIUM UNITED NATIONS FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "On Syria I continue to be gravely concerned at the level of violence and mounting loss o
  • Embargoed: 3rd March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria, Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3N2CIT8DQOBMYJ8IZBTFRVQZ8
  • Story Text: Potential crimes against humanity were taking place in Syria, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday (February 16).
    Speaking to reporters after meeting with Austrian President Heinz Fischer in Vienna, Ban expressed his concerns over the rising civilian death toll in Syria.
    "On Syria I continue to be gravely concerned at the level of violence and mounting loss of life. I call again on the Syrian government to comply with international law, international humanitarian law, and immediately end the shelling and use of force against the civilians," said Ban.
    "The High Commissioner for Human Rights told the General Assembly on Monday February 13th the Syrian security forces have killed well over 5,400 people last year. Men, women, children, military personnel who refused to shoot the civilians. Thousands more are reported missing. 25,000 people have fled to other countries, and more than 70,000 are estimated to have been internally displaced. Everyday those numbers rise. 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," Ban added. "The lack of agreement in the Security Council does not give the government license to continue this assault on its own people. The longer we debate, the more people will die."
    He called it "regrettable" that the Council could not agree on a resolution so far.
    Ban said he had read of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's plan to hold a referendum that could lead to multi-party elections within 90 days but said the priority now had to be halting the bloodshed in an uprising against Assad's rule.
    Ban, who opened an international conference on fighting the illicit drugs trade from Afghanistan, said he would meet the foreign ministers of Russia and France in Vienna on Thursday to discuss stalled U.N. Security Council action on Syria.
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