Muallem Tells Ban Red Cross Can Enter Qusayr Once Fighting Ends

Syria will allow the Red Cross to enter Qusayr to aid trapped civilians only after the end of a regime assault on the embattled town, its foreign minister told the U.N. chief Sunday.

"Syrian authorities will allow the Red Cross in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent access to the area immediately after the end of military operations," Walid Muallem told Ban Ki-moon, state news agency SANA reported.

On Saturday, Ban expressed concern about civilians trapped in the town in central Homs province, where regime forces backed by Hizbullah fighters began an assault two weeks ago.

"He urges all sides to do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

"He also reminds the government of its responsibility to protect civilians who come under its control, including from the threat of militias. He calls on the warring parties to allow trapped civilians to escape the town."

SANA said Muallem voiced "surprise at the concern being expressed over the situation in Qusayr, given that no one expressed this concern when terrorists took control of the city and the surrounding area."

He accused "terrorists," the government's term for rebel fighters, of "committing the most heinous crimes against citizens for the past 18 months," SANA said.

"What the Syrian Arab Army is doing is to free these citizens from the terrorism of these armed terrorist groups and return security and stability to Qusayr and the surrounding area," Muallem added.

International aid groups and the U.N. have said between 1,000 to 1,500 injured Syrians are trapped inside Qusayr along with parts of its civilian population of around 25,000 people.

The town is a key strategic post for both the regime and rebels because it lies along the route between the capital Damascus and the sea and near the Lebanese border, serving as a conduit for rebel weapons and fighters.