UN frets over ‘sitting duck’ monitors in Syria
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations is increasingly worried about the
unarmed observers it has sent into Syria to monitor the war between
President Bashar al-Assad’s troops and opposition rebels.
The UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) is caught between
hostile troops accused of firing at its patrols and increasingly bitter
Syrians who cannot understand why it has not halted the bloodshed,
officials said.
Susan Rice, US ambassador to the United Nations, likened the monitors
to “300 sitting ducks in a shooting gallery, one IED from a disaster,”
at a recent UN Security Council meeting.
An Iraq-style Improvised Explosive Device, or roadside bomb, exploded
in front of a convoy of UN ceasefire monitors last month, without
wounding anyone.
On Thursday, shots were fired at another UN patrol as it tried to get
to Al-Kubeir, a village near Homs, where a fresh massacre reportedly
left dozens dead. No monitors were wounded, and they planned to try to
return on Friday.
The Security Council has ordered a review of the mission to be ready
before its 90 day mandate ends on July 20.
According to diplomats and UN officials, options being studied range
from sending more observers with armed protection to a complete
withdrawal if UNSMIS suffers casualties. All stressed that no decision
has yet been taken.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon and UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan say
government-inspired violence has been reduced in areas where monitors
are present.
But neither wants to increase the force because of the threat to
lives, diplomats said.
Ban highlighted the regular attacks and near-misses that the
observers have endured at a Security Council meeting on Thursday. AFP |