UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) strongly condemned the massacre which happened in El-Houleh town of Syria on Friday, and said Syrian government violated international laws and UNSC resolutions.
The Council released a press statement following a three-hour meeting, and said, "the members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the killings, confirmed by United Nations observers, of dozens of men, women and children and the wounding of hundreds more in the village of El-Houleh, near Homs, in attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighbourhood."
"The members of the Security Council also condemned the killing of civilians by shooting at close range and by severe physical abuse. The members of the Security Council extended their profound sympathies and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and underscored their grave concern about the situation of civilians in Syria," said the statement.
It noted, "such outrageous use of force against civilian population constitutes a violation of applicable international law and of the commitments of the Syrian government under United Nations Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043 to cease violence in all its forms, including the cessation of use of heavy weapons in population centres."
"The members of the Security Council reiterated that all violence in all its forms by all parties must cease. Those responsible for acts of violence must be held accountable. The members of the Security Council requested the Secretary-General, with the involvement of UNSMIS (United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria), to continue to investigate these attacks and report the findings to the Security Council," it added.
Also, the members of the Security Council demanded that the government of Syria immediately cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres and immediately pull back its troops and its heavy weapons from in and around population centres and return them to their barracks.
Security Council members reaffirmed their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter.
The statement said, "the members of the Security Council reiterated their full support to the efforts of the Joint Special Envoy for the implementation of his six-point plan in its entirety and requested him to convey in the clearest terms to the Syrian parties, and in particular the Syrian Government, the demands of the Security Council."
Meanwhile, Ban sent a letter to UNSC and noted that the violence in Syria escalated in the past two days. Ban said that UNSMIS was informed that 116 people had been killed and over 300 were wounded during the attacks in El-Houleh.
(Reporting by Ozlem Sahin Sakar)
