- Title: ARGENTINA: U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls Syrian violence horrific
- Date: 14th June 2011
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (JUNE 13, 2011) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF BAN AND FERNANDEZ DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "It took 14 hours from Bogota: six hours by airplane and eight hours by a very nice comfortable bus. It was a very unique experience for me to see the beautiful sights and the vastness of your country. It was quite impressive and I thank you very much for this opportunity." BAN AND FERNANDEZ AT PODIUMS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ARGENTINE PRESIDENT CRISTINA FERNANDEZ, SAYING: "In our talks we have once again reiterated to the Secretary General our desire for England to finally accept the resolution 2065 agreed on by the United Nations and the Decolonization C ommittee and to come sit down at the negotiation table with Argentina." EXTERIOR OF ILLEGAL DETENTION CENTRE USED DURING ARGENTINA'S MILITARY DICTATORSHIP BAN'S CAR ARRIVING SIGN FOR MUSEUM NOW SET UP IN BUILDING VARIOUS OF BAN TOURING FORMER DETENTION CENTRE GENERAL VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF BAN PUTTING ON HEAD SCARF AS WORN BY HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS GROUPS IN ARGENTINA
- Embargoed: 29th June 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina, Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA10JPM27418BSQP900MR1VW3FK
- Story Text: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow "humanitarian access" to the country calling deadly government attacks on protesters demanding democracy, "horrific."
Ban made the comments while in Argentina to meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman on the second stop of his Latin American tour to drum up support for a second five-year term to head the U.N.
Ban's comments come as the White House condemned in the "strongest possible terms" the latest violence by the Syrian government crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
United States President Barack Obama has call for Assad to "step aside" if he refuses to lead a democratic transition.
The main Syrian activist group organising protests, the Local Coordination Committees, said on Sunday (June 12) a violent crackdown had killed 1,300 civilians.
"In Syria the situation is very worrisome. This struggle has spread beyond any single square any village or town; it has spread all throughout the country. People are shouting, sending out their voices for change. The government has responded with horrific attacks," Ban said.
"I once again urge President Assad of Syria to allow humanitarian access to affected areas and to allow the Human Rights Council-mandated assessment mission, which on two cases I have urged him to accept the missions," Ban added.
An activist group statement said more than 10,000 Syrians have been arrested since the uprising erupted in the southern Hauran Plain three months ago.
Western envoys say they have been pleased with Ban's strong support for the "Arab Spring" movements. Ban backed NATO military intervention in Libya and vocally supported pro-democracy protesters in North Africa and the Middle East.
Ban has said that under his watch the U.N. responded quickly and effectively to a series of devastating humanitarian emergencies" in Myanmar, Haiti, Pakistan and elsewhere. Ban said his team also worked to keep attention on the world's poorest people during the global economic crisis.
Argentina is the second leg of Ban's Latin American trip which started in Colombia and will also take him to Uruguay and Brazil as he seeks a second term.
The head of the U.N. arrived to Argentina from Colombia where he secured the support of President Juan Manuel Santos.
Ban was forced to land 500 miles (800 kilometres) from the Argentina capital, in the central province of Cordoba, due to airport closings in Buenos Aires because of continued problems caused by a volcanic ash cloud sent up by a Chilean volcano that began erupting 10 days ago.
He made the rest of his journey, which happened to fall on his birthday, with his entourage by bus, passing through Argentina's second largest city, Rosario, where he and his wife ate alfajores, a typical Argentine sweet, and drank coffee from foam cups for breakfast in a gas station at a highway stop.
Ban made light of the long trip.
"It took 14 hours from Bogota: six hours by airplane and eight hours by a very nice comfortable bus. It was a very unique experience for me to see the beautiful sights and the vastness of your country. It was quite impressive and I thank you very much for this opportunity," he said.
Fernandez said she backed Ban's reelection bid adding she hopes the United Kingdom will come to the negotiating table to address the disputed Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina.
"In our talks we have once again reiterated to the Secretary General our desire for England to finally accept the resolution 2065 agreed on by the United Nations and the Decolonization Committee and to come sit down at the negotiation table with Argentina," Fernandez said.
Officially, U.N. secretaries-general are elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.
In reality, it is the five permanent veto-wielding council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- that decide who gets the job.
In recent months, Ban has met leaders of all five of those countries and many more to confirm their support.
While in Argentina Ban also toured the main prison and torture centre used under Argentina's 1976-1983 military dictatorship.
The Navy Mechanics School, known by its Spanish acronym, ESMA, has recently been converted into a museum to honour the victims.
Ban called the experience of being at a site were thousands were illegally imprisoned and tortured one of the "saddest and most moving experiences of his life."
Human rights groups the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo thanked Ban and presented him with a white headscarf that symbolize the groups and their struggle to look for answers for the whereabouts of victims of the dictatorship.
Activists say as many as 30,000 people were killed during Argentina's 'dirty war' crackdown on leftists. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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