U.N. Syria Mission Highlights Threat to Civilians
A U.N. humanitarian mission to Syria found an "urgent need" to protect civilians against excessive force and reported widespread intimidation, a U.N. spokesman said Friday.
The mission was the first allowed into Syria since President Bashar al-Assad launched his deadly crackdown on opposition protests in March.
"The mission concluded that although there is no countrywide humanitarian crisis, there is an urgent need to protect civilians from the excessive use of force," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.
The U.N. experts were allowed to go to a number of protest cities during their five days in the country but were always accompanied by government representatives.
Haq said "the constant presence of government officials limited the mission's ability to fully and independently assess the situation."
"The people it was able to talk to in areas of previous or ongoing unrest said they felt extremely intimidated and under constant threat."
Haq added that the United Nations "will continue to engage with the Syrian authorities and maintains its urgent calls for security forces to refrain from the use of excessive force against civilians."
The U.N. mission is to produce a full report for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who has made several calls for Assad to end the violence and launch reforms.
According to the United Nations and activists, at least 2,200 civilians have been killed in the government crackdown.
Source: Agence France Presse
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