Thursday, August 11, 2011

Syria defiant as diplomatic pressure grows

Bashar Jaafari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, says the country's sovereignty "is a red line that must not be crossed".

He said after sessions at the United Nations Security Council in New York, "We know our commitments, our obligations but at the same time we know what are our rights. And our rights do not stem from any political pressure. They stem from our own political will."

Jaafari, back in New York from meetings with Assad government officials in Damascus, sparked diplomatic fury by comparing the deadly unrest to the riots in Britain, adding that anti-government groups had killed 500 Syrian security forces.

He criticised Western nations for accepting the British government's denunciation of rioters as members of gangs, while denouncing Syria for its crackdown on anti-government elements.

"They don't allow us to use the same term for the armed groups and the terrorist groups in my country. This is hypocrisy, this is arrogance."

At least 1,700 civilians have been killed since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted in March, rights groups say.

Britain's UN representative dismissed as "ludicrous" Jaafari's comparison between the handling of the worst British riots in a generation and the killing of protesters on the streets of Syrian cities.

"In the United Kingdom, you have a situation where the government is taking measured, proportionate, legal, transparent steps to ensure the rule of law for its citizens," he said.

"In Syria, you have a situation where thousands of unarmed civilians are being attacked and many of them killed. That comparison made by the Syrian ambassador is ludicrous."

"The kingdom of Morocco, which has traditionally refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, expresses today its strong worries and deep concern over the sad events rocking Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said at least one woman was killed and 13 people injured on Wednesday when 12 tanks and armoured vehicles, entered the towns of Taftanaz and Sermin, around 30km from the border with Turkey.

 witnesses told Al Jazeera that Syrian army forces moved back into the town after Onhon's visit.

Syrian troops also seized control of the eastern flashpoint city of Deir ez-Zor on Wednesday following intense shelling and gunfire, an activist said. The city has been under attack by Assad's forces for four days.

In the town of Albukamal, located in the province of Deir ez-Zor, the security forces and members of the Shabiha armed group carried out a campaign of mass arrests early Wednesday morning, detaining at least 35 people, Avaaz, an international human rights organisation, said.

Syrian troops also launched another operation in three suburbs of the capital Damascus, the London-based sohr said

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