U.N. Says Syria Death Toll Well Over 7,500
The United Nations said Tuesday that well over 7,500 people have been killed in the brutal Syrian crackdown amid new international demands for the Damascus government to allow humanitarian access.
France urged Russia and China to back a U.N. Security Council resolution on halting the bloodshed and getting rescue aid into protest cities. Russia and China have vetoed two resolutions on Syria, but appear to be softening their stance.
Tentative contacts on a new resolution started as U.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council "well over 7,500" people have now been killed in the 11 month old campaign by President Bashar al-Assad to end protests.
Pascoe said the international community's failure to "stop the carnage" was encouraging the Syrian government to believe that it can act with "impunity."
"There are now credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children. The total is certainly well over 7,500," he told the council.
Some 25,000 refugees are now registered with the U.N. in countries around Syria and between 100,000 and 200,000 are now internally displaced, the official added.
Pascoe said the pounding of Syrian protest cities with tank and rocket fire was "reminiscent of the Hama massacre perpetrated by the Syrian government in 1982." Tens of thousands are said to have died in the massacre which was ordered by the president's father, Hafez.
Stepping up the U.N. campaign, U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said that she had received reports of serious rights abuses, including a massive campaign of arrests by the Syrian military and security forces.
Speaking at a meeting in Geneva, Pillay said "there must be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to end the fighting and bombardments."
One resolution set for discussion by the Human Rights Council in Geneva calls on Assad to let humanitarian agencies deliver "vital relief goods and services to civilians" in Homs, Deraa, Zabadani and other areas under siege by Syrian security forces.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe urged Russia and China to accept a new U.N. Security Council resolution on halting the violence to get humanitarian aid to the protest cities. He said a resolution is under discussion at the Security Council.
"We hope that Russia and China will not oppose the adoption of this resolution on the free access of humanitarian aid to victims and that all members of the Security Council, without exception, will agree to end the barbarism," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero added in Paris.
At the Security Council, Germany's U.N. ambassador Peter Wittig said the council had to look at possible action to halt the violence and obtain humanitarian access because of deteriorating events in Syria.
"It might be a difficult assignment but we are duty-bound to explore whether we have the possibility to act," Wittig told reporters.
Russia and China have vetoed two U.N. Security Council resolutions, in October and February, condemning the Syria violence. But diplomats said their attitude toward Syria was showing signs of change.
Russia has urged Syria to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross efforts to negotiate a daily two-hour ceasefire. "It is important that the Syrian government cooperates with the ICRC," Russia's deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov said in Geneva.