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Subscribe to RSSThe British Ambassador to Syria told ITV News President Assad's shelling and attacks will lead to his downfall. ITN's Paul Davies reports.
Updated 11:30 a.m. ET: U.N. cultural agency UNESCO is set to condemn Syria at its executive board meeting on Wednesday but fall short of Western and Arab hopes of expelling it from its human rights committee, according to a draft resolution obtained by Reuters.
Also on Wednesday, a team of aid workers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent entered the devastated Homs district of Baba Amr. The team was accompanied by U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, who recently arrived in the city.
"The Syrian Arab Red Crescent stayed inside Baba Amr for about 45 minutes. They found that most inhabitants had left Baba Amr to areas that have been already visited by the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the past week," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters in Geneva.
An ICRC aid convoy has been unable to enter Baba Amr since reaching Homs a day after rebel fighters fled.
The long delay in securing access for relief agencies trying to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded has fuelled international concern about the fate of survivors in Baba Amr.
UNESCO board
The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) executive board, which includes the United States, France and Russia, elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that judges human rights violations.
NYT: Across a murky river, Syrians flee to safety
A group of Western and Arab nations had sought the expulsion of Syria from the U.N. cultural agency's human rights committee, the latest international effort to isolate Damascus over its violent crackdown on domestic unrest.
The resolution submitted by countries including Saudi Arabia, the United States and the Britain condemns Damascus for "the continued widespread and systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities."
The resolution also requests for UNESCO's Director General to report on the matter in the future. It makes no mention of Syria's membership of the human rights committee.
Report: Syrian military hospitals torturing patients
A vote was pushed back to Thursday, a source said.
Diplomacy has yet to brake a conflict likely to have cost more than 10,000 lives: the United Nations says security forces have killed well over 7,500 people and Syria said in December that "terrorists" had killed more than 2,000 security personnel.
Amos in Homs
Amos had wanted to visit Syria last week, but was denied access. The Syrian military drove armed rebels from the battered Baba Amr district on Thursday after a month-long siege and state media say civilians have begun returning there.
EPA / Salvatore di Nolfi
U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos accompanied a team of aid workers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent who entered the devastated Homs district of Baba Amr on Wednesday.
In another effort to stop the violence, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan plans his first visit to Damascus as joint envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League on Saturday.
There was no information on what food or medical aid the Red Crescent workers were able to take with them into Baba Amr. The ICRC had not gained permission from Syrian authorities to enter the area since last Friday, raising fears about the fate of survivors in Baba Amr.
Saudi Arabia: Syrians have right to defend themselves
Syrian tanks bombarded other opposition areas in Homs overnight, anti-Assad activists said, although an ICRC spokesman in Damascus said the city was quieter than before.
No independent witnesses have been allowed into the devastated Baba Amr district since rebels withdrew.
In the latest of several accounts of killings and other abuses, local activist Mohammed al-Homsi said troops and pro-Assad militiamen had stabbed to death seven males, including a 10-year-old, from one family on Tuesday. "Their bodies were dumped in farmland next to Baba Amr," he told Reuters.
Syria imposes severe media restrictions, making such reports hard to verify, although U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm at reports that Syrian government forces have executed, imprisoned and tortured people in Baba Amr.
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Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report
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Keeping Syria on the UN's human rights committee just reinforces what a farce the entire UN is.
The U.S. should reduce its financial aid to the UN to be directly proportionate to the weight of our vote instead of the 25%+ of the total budget we pay right now. Even THAT'S too much. I'd also move the UN to Geneva and get it out of this country.
The UN iisn't meant to do something and you've been suckered into thinking it has. It literally isn't and you shouldn't want it to. It was designed to communicate, not to green stamp wars. If you wanted it to do something, you'd want it to have influence in US (or whatever country you are in) laws. You and I obviously don't want that.
So don't pick on them for not doing anything. Pick on them for what they represented with sitting Syria on the human rights committee. It was BS on day one and that was before what is going on now. The US and Israel protested, but oh no, someone had to hang a pin on Syria to try to make them happy or becasue they were their friend.
When I see pictures of babies and toddlers shot by the Syrian government, it sure does put that decision to light, doesn't it?
Derek, the main reason the UN was created in 1945 was to prevent the civilian and ethnic atrocities that occured as a result of the Nazi regime. Where today the media promotes "outrage" upon thousands of people dying, we all forget that in WWII, 40 million lives were shed, more than half were civilians. The WORLD has common interests in preventing the holocaust on any ethnic or religious group, however it seems that most of the world has forgotten or refuses that mission.
I too think its poor to have the UN based in New York City and Geneva is a good choice, although they've recently passed laws against Muslims there. What about Canary Islands, the Azores or Malta?
Well, honestly, I know the reason 'told' that the UN was created, but frankly, I don't really think the countries who formed it cared about civilian and ethnic atrocities as much as having one place to centralize negotiations. Consider Russia and China, for example. Anyway, the UN certain failed in its stated mission the moment they had Syria on the human rights committe.
Personally, I WANT the UN where it is. We have more influence in the UN because of it, and certainly, you aren't going to get world leaders to attend a place that couldn't be defended, so while from a neutrality standpoint your choices could be considered, who exactly wants to park their fleet at the cost of billions a year out there to defend those places?
You can only realistically base the UN in a place like a major nation, or Geneva, where it could be defended. But you will never see it in Geneva, and that is because neither Russia, China, or the US itself has any interest in being there. Probably, in fact, Russia and China have no interest in it being in the US, but its a little late for that now.
The UN isn't supposed to rule over nations, so don't be mad when it doesn't 'do anything.' The UN isn't moving. The UN is good for exactly humanitarian missions, except when they do things like appoint Syria to the human rights committee, and discussing politics so each nation can have a centralized place for discourse.
Is Libya still a member?
The UN is in the US because no other country would fund it.
Not that IMO that's a problem, since the US has cast more vetos than the other four members of the security council combined.
I do feel that it's time for reform though. The world has changed since 1945. Germany, Brazil and India should all be on the permanent council. France should be dropped, or perhaps share the chair with Germany.
why Brazil?
The UN is a totally corrupt organization and the US is the cash cow. It doesn't have a track record of anything other then financial mismanagement, turning a blind eye to the very atrocities is was set up to prevent, and it operates at a pace of which is clinically motionless. If the UN went any slower it would be going backwards. Just another glaring example of Washington wasting taxpayers dollars for the opulence and the disdain of the world, and absolutely no benefit to the US.
leroy2112: Brazil is a rising powerhouse. You may have heard of the BRIC nations: Brazil, Russia, India, & China. These states are all more or less at parity in terms of economic potential for various reasons and are assumed to become major economic powers by 2050.
The UN is in New York because we insisted it be there.Its funny when Americans get upset because we "are stuck with it being here". We are why its here. Many other countries wanted it in a neutral setting but we promised all kinds of goodies if it was there.The very things that we complain about today. This mess with Syria is totally hypocritical on all sides.Total dictatorships like the Sunni Gulf States,pretending to be concerned about human rights,and spouting off about democracy.The very thing they deny their own people.Probably the worse,are the US,Russia,Britain,France,and China.All of which get along fine with dictators,as long as they are "their dictators". Now are disputing with each other who has more concern for people,what a joke.Here is one of the best examples below.
"The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) executive board, which includes the United States, France and Russia, elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that judges human rights violations."
We all know that by November of last year the violence in Syria was well known,and yet these countries elected Syria to these panels.Now all of a sudden,we are "outraged" that they are on the panel,what a joke.The big powers have all misused the UN for their own selfish purposes.Not caring at all what is best for the world,unless it serves their narrow interests.We have the farce of the nation that has vetoed more UN resolutions ever (us),whining in a "holier than thou" manner over Russia and China's veto.Acting shocked that nations play politics at the UN. Mrs Clinton deserves an Oscar for that performance. If the great powers really want the UN to have meaning.Then they should make it so.If not,they should stop complaining about it.
There's a whole continent that's open for them. How about Antarctica?
Julie, that is the BEST idea I've heard all day. A+
Biggest farce is to have Saudi Arabia, which sent its and Sunni puppets Arab League forces into Bahrain.
UN and its agencies have been reduced to seventh century mindset dancers with seventh century desert robes!
The UN has about as much credibility as the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.
Less we tax payers do not have to support the Nobel Prize Committee.
dale,
Perfect comment. The Nobel Peace Prize committee has a political agenda and so does the UN. Is either agenda in the best interest of the US?
(stormerF, good too!)
whats the point of having a human rights committe when they never enforce human rights?? That's my question of the day. GET WITH THE PROGRAM UN!
Enforce it with what? they have no foreign legion to do any fighting for them. They have no teeth just words and threats of more words. Like the last sanctions against Iraq when Saddam was paying off the chief of the Security council of the UN so he could truck his oil to port and keep buying supplies.
In other words, the UN is a totally useless and corrupt organization.
Not only these, UN is full of junks offloaded from different nations.
Many are experts in doing dramas and with big words, stealing on the side and doing sexual harassments when possible.
Talk about an international liability: you can’t get a bigger one than UN and its agencies.
Maybe it is time the US stopped giving UNESCO credibility and drop out again? Remember Reagan pulled the US out of UNESCO. GW Bush put the US back in.
Makes sense. How else do you keep track of the human rights violations going on there as well as keep humanitarian lines of communication open?
Hope you can see in all directions.
Oil companies, lobbyists and agents have certified that Saudi Arabia is a world leader in "democracy", "human rights", "religious tolerance", "women rights", "secularism" and so on!
Start these human rights "communication" from Saudi Arabia.
UNESCO...another worthless UN organization. Valerie...you should be ashamed of yourself and your organization.
The UN is an impotent debating society.
A huge waste of US dollars.
Do not tell Obama that, he and Hillary just gave them another billion dollars.
My computer is on the blink again. It said SYRIA was on the human rights commitee. I got to get this thing fixed!
Syria's seat at the UN human rights committee will be kept warm by their special guests, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler.
The United States needs to clean out its "Friends" page. It should go like this: Keep U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand as BFF's. Friend China, Japan, Mexico & South Korea for their imports. Friend Singapore & Swiss for insuring our banks. Friend India for their computer support. Friend Caribbean nations for a good place to vacation.
Then drop everyone else.
#1 - India is not our friend
#2 - IT support was moved to Pakistan
You forgot Poland.
Sure they should.
No country knows more about the topic than Syria.
Skunks put in charge of watching skunks. It is unbelievable that Syria would ever be put in charge of watching out for human rights abuses. The government of Syria is a bunch of murdering thugs.
Simply more proof the UN is just a front organization for organized crime -- bilking the world out of billions of dollars while pretending to do something besides pad their pockets. Disband the UN. Send all its member delegates home to their own countries. Stop all US funding of the UN immediately. Syria has a seat on the human rights committee, Iran has a delegate on the women's rights committee, and who knows what other terrorist nation has members of other 'important' committees that are supposed to 'save the world from itself'.
The U.N. is nothing more than a corrupt old boys club / paper tiger . The original charter has been gutted , circumvented , and totally abused for years. Keep our money here at home and through the U.N. out of our country . Also get out of most if not all of it's stupid money sucking organizations .
bob
As they should. NO ONE had a complaint against this government until the so called rebels started a civil war. The current government is doing what our government would do. Put down the rebel thugs.
That's not true.
Holder said the administration is only allowed to kill Americans outside our borders - at least currently.
Holder said he'd uphold the U.S. Constitution too. But he's not. Holder said he knew nothing about the botched "Fast and Furious" gun running debacle. But he did. If Holder's lips are moving, he's lying.
Joined by the murderers of Sunni Islamic militants like al-Qaeda and promoted by Sunni Saudi thugs and international money suckers by hiking oil prices at every opportunity including inventing problems.
Most of you folks hit the nail right on the head! Over the past 50 plus years we (USA) have spent billions on this cut-throat organization. It is everything except United, period! There is so much tyranny around the world, dictators, families that run and think they OWN everyone inside of it. It still continues to go on and on and on like an rabid Energizer Bunny. It keeps on ticking and we keep licking. Every country is for their own agenda and how they can keep imposing their will upon everyone. The UN is full of BS rhetoric. It certainly is not for Humanity.
Yep. Syria is a paragon of human rights. The U.N. says so.
Letusreason-"Yep. Syria is a paragon of human rights. The U.N. says so."
The UN is nothing but the mouthpiece for the nations in the UN.So it wasn't "the UN" that said so,it was the nations on the panel.As the story reported:
"The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) executive board, which includes the United States, France and Russia, elected Syria to two panels in November, including one that judges human rights violations."
If you've ever wondered why large swaths of the American population don't think much of the UN, ask yourself this: why is Syria is on the Human Rights Committee, Iran on the Committee on the Status of Women, and North Korea chairing the Nuclear Disarmament Committee?
That's just asinine!!!!!.....but typical of the UN......it is PAST time for us to reduce our disproportionate financial support of the UN.
pli
In order to serve on the human rights committee don't you first have to be human?
That would exclude all middle-eastern nations.
This is the very reason they do not like us.
We are not tolerant.
Yes we should be tolerant of the people who want to slit our throats. Survival instincts sure have been dulled by soft living.
"We" are actually quite tolerant, but there is a point where tolerance wears out its welcome.
How many centuries of inhumanities does it take? How many autrocities?
We were tolerant of Hitler too, until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
We were tolerant of the Iran contras and Osama bin Ladin, despite General North's warnings.
We were tolerant of Saddam Hussain, until his people took a shot at Bush 42, but once W. stepped in, all he wanted was an excuse.
And he got one.
How much more tolerant can we be?
@nothing new here - I rarely comment, but that is one of the most ridiculous statements I've heard in recent memory just behind "corporations are people". The reason that people in the middle east hate us is because we're not tolerant? And they are??? This is the same area of this planet that stones women for all sort of insignificant reasons and is highly intolerant of any other religion but Islam. I don't know what your motivation is for making such a statement, but it clearly lacks any kind of objectivity or perspective.
@nothing new here-1200374, we're not tolerant? And the Muslims in the Middle Eat are? Get real.
By the way, I don't care that they hate us. The feeling is mutual. All I have to do is go by Ground Zero to remind of that. All I have to do is remember the U.S. soldiers that were tortured, killed and their bodies dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Sorry, but I feel no obligation to be tolerant toward our enemies.
Syria is just the punch line in the joke that is the UN Human Rights Council
It would be a joke if it was not funded by US taxpayers. It would be a good idea to kick UN out of NYC. That piece of real estate on East River can be put to much better use and bring tax revenue to the city. These "human rights defenders" are free to move to Damascus, Tehran, or any other dump.
Obama was framing his mid east peace policies on the hope of Assad being a reformer. So much for hope. Step 2 was to start talks with Iran. Well 4 years latter how do his two best plans for mid east peace look?
Ignorance must be bliss.
He is a reformer.
Both Hillary and Nancy said so after their respective audiences with him.
They saw first hand.
We should not judge from afar.
They have been saying it for years: The UN is a joke. This proves it. It also proves that what enabled Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany to do what it did has NOT gone away. What a joke.
I guess to be considered a pariah at the UN you have to kill off the entire population of your country and only then you may get expelled off the human rights council in the UN. The UN is a joke, and the human rights council is even a bigger joke. China and Russia and Iran are the issue not Syria. Russia and china don't want to lose the billions in arms trade they do at the expense of the poor schmucks in the country. Face it, money, people money people..... money wins ,,,,,, China and Russia pick the money...
And the U.S. Doesn't? Face it, the U.S. has screwed with as many nations as has China and Russia.
There's no way that Syria should be on this when they are killing man, woman and children, torturing patients in hospitols and executing people and creating mass graves. Pull the triger folks. Syria dosen't seem to have a problem doing it.
I was wondering when when when the great white right lemming squad was going to get around to putting some kind of blame and (or) declare Obama, Clinton, et al as accomplices. It's like watching an inane game of "six degrees of Kevin Bacon being played by sotted frat kiddies.
We need to stop wasting our (USA) money on a corrupt useless bureaucracy that does nothing but find fault with the USA. Let someone else fund it.