SYRIA: Damascus says a preliminary investigation shows that anti-government armed groups carried out the massacre in Houla

Record ID: 280912

  • Title: SYRIA: Damascus says a preliminary investigation shows that anti-government armed groups carried out the massacre in Houla
  • Date: 1st June 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (MAY 31, 2012) (REUTERS) HEAD OF THE INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE FORMED BY SYRIAN GOVERNMENT, BRIGADIER GENERAL QASSEM JAMAL SULEIMAN, AND SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, JIHAD MAKDISSI, ENTERING ROOM FOR NEWS CONFERENCE FILE CONTAINING REPORT ON HOULA IN SULEIMAN'S HAND REPORTERS SEATED FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SYRIAN GOVERNMENT
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QYR1MZ9NVUPB5AZ1B6RR852G
  • Story Text: Syria said on Thursday (May 31) a preliminary investigation showed that anti-government armed groups carried out a massacre last week in Houla region with the aim of encouraging foreign military intervention against the government.
    Brigadier General Qassem Jamal Suleiman, head of the investigation committee formed by the government, said the victims were families "who refused to oppose the government and were at odds with the armed groups".
    He said that before the massacre, 600 to 800 armed men attacked posts of the security forces in the area while armed men from outside Houla murdered the families, adding that many of the victims were relatives of a member of parliament.
    "They have never protested or carried weapons against the government. They disagreed with the armed terrorist groups. The aim [of these armed groups] is to bring foreign military intervention against the country in any form and way," he told reporters at a news conference in Damascus that was aired on television.
    The massacre in Houla, in which 108 people were killed, was condemned around the world. Western powers expelled Syrian diplomats and Syrian rebels, aiming to topple President Bashar al-Assad, urged Kofi Annan to declare his seven-week-old ceasefire plan a failure.
    But Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Syria wanted the peace plan to succeed in ending the violence so the 14-month-old crisis could be resolved through political dialogue.
    "We want to pacify the situation in order to move to a political solution. It is not the Syrian side who refuses the political solution. I call on you to direct your microphones to the opposition outside the country and ask them if they accept. I tell you from here, with guarantees, to come to Syria to talk to the Syrian government, your government. To sit around one table and know what we want to do with our Syria. If they accept, from here, the challenge is open and with guarantees. Whoever refuses foreign intervention in the country is welcomed."
    He also called on opposition groups that reject foreign intervention to come to Syria for talks with the government.
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