SYRIA: A spokeswoman for the United Nation's mission says a blast near the mission chief's convoy in Douma was a 'very small incident'

Record ID: 280850

  • Title: SYRIA: A spokeswoman for the United Nation's mission says a blast near the mission chief's convoy in Douma was a 'very small incident'
  • Date: 21st May 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (MAY 20, 2012) (REUTERS) U.N. UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING, HERVE LADSOUS AND, CHIEF OF UNITED NATIONS SUPERVISION MISSION IN SYRIA (UNSMIS), MAJOR GENERAL, ROBERT MOOD ARRIVING AT THEIR HOTEL (SOUNDBITE) (English) HERVE LADSOUS, U.N. UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING, SAYING: "They were wrong reports, the reports were inaccurate" MO
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA28NCXIP1D6PO09ICM2AX2L0KA
  • Story Text: Senior United Nations peacekeepers in Syria, played down an explosion near their convoy as they visited the hot spot of Douma on Sunday (May 20).
    U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, said some reports on the blast, near the truce observers in Douma, were "wrong" and "inaccurate".
    A roadside bomb exploded about 150 metres (yards) from the convoy, carrying the head of the Syria ceasefire monitoring mission through Douma, a Reuters witness said.
    Major General Robert Mood's car was stopped at an army checkpoint when the bomb detonated in a nearby alleyway and the convoy left, the Reuters journalist said, adding that there were no reports of casualties.
    Sawssan Ghoshe, United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) spokeswoman, said the mission was not targeted and it continued the visit in the city without any problems.
    "From a distance we heard an explosion from a very big distance we saw smoke it wasn't near the convoy. The convoy was not targeted we were not attacked. It was a very small incident very low sound very little smoke that we actually went to continue our trip inside Douma without any problems and without any security issues", she said.
    Ghoshe added that the mission visited Zabadani after its visit to Douma.
    Douma, a town on the outskirts of Damascus, is a centre of opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, where protests against his regime started in 2011.
    There are currently 257 unarmed U.N. observers in Syria to monitor a five-week-old truce brokered by Annan. That number is expected to increase to 300 by the end of May.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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