USA: Demonstrators urge United Nations to take stronger action against Syria by depicting a massacre scene just outside the world body's headquarters

Record ID: 280926

  • Title: USA: Demonstrators urge United Nations to take stronger action against Syria by depicting a massacre scene just outside the world body's headquarters
  • Date: 8th June 2012
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JUNE 7, 2012) (REUTERS) DEMONSTRATORS DRESSED AS SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SHAKING HANDS IN FRONT OF BANNER AND MOCK BODY BAGS LYING ON THE GROUND MAN DRESSED AS AL-ASSAD SHAKING HANDS WITH MAN DRESSED AS PUTIN HANDS WITH BLOOD ON THEM MOCK BODY BAGS STUFFED ANIMAL IN FRONT OF BODY BA
  • Embargoed: 23rd June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA616VWFF0D4B4TR304NP8KT4AT
  • Story Text: A small group of protesters demonstrated outside the United Nations on Thursday (June 7), urging the world body to ratchet up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end his 15-month onslaught against an opposition seeking to oust him.
    Dressed as Russian President Vladimir Putin and al-Assad, the demonstrators shook hands over what looked like dozens of small children's body's covered in white sheets.
    Russia, which has veto powers on the U.N. Security Council, has made clear they would strike down any attempts to impose sanctions on Damascus.
    Apart from lucrative Russian arms sales to Damascus, Syria hosts a Russian navy base that is Moscow's only warm water port outside the former Soviet Union. While Russia has said it is not protecting Assad, it has given no indications that it is ready to abandon him.
    Ian Bassin, who directed the demonstration on behalf of the non-profit group Avaaz, said the U.N. needs to step up the pressure on Assad.
    "We're demanding that they immediately deploy 3,000 monitors to Syria. There are less than 300 in the country right now and when they are not present it gives the green light to the Assad militia to commit the kind of horrific acts that we're representing here today."
    The Syrian opposition and Western and Gulf nations seeking Assad's ouster increasingly see U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan as doomed due to the Syrian government's determination to use military force to crush an increasingly militarized opposition.
    Annan's peace efforts have failed to halt the violence, as demonstrated by another recent massacre in Houla that led to the deaths of at least 108 men, women and children, most likely by the army and allied militia, according the United Nations.
    Damascus has blamed recent atrocities on the opposition and Islamist extremists it brands as terrorists.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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