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Syrians walk through blood and debris in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, after a raid by Syrian troops killed several rebels and civilians Thursday.
Syria’s year-long conflict must end at 6:00 a.m. local time on April 12, U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said Thursday, amid reports violence in the country had worsened despite a promise by the regime to withdraw its troops from cities.
Annan told the U.N. General Assembly: "We must silence the tanks, helicopters, mortars, guns and stop all other forms of violence too - sexual abuse, torture, executions, abductions, destruction of homes, forced displacement and other abuses, including on children.”
Earlier this week, Syria publicly accepted an official deadline of April 10 to begin withdrawing government troops from urban centers and flashpoints such as the battered city of Homs.
That peace proposal also includes a second deadline, applying to all sides in the conflict, requiring them to “cease armed violence in all its forms” at 6:00 a.m. Syrian time on April 12 (11:00 p.m. ET on April 11).
PhotoBlog: Evidence of bloody battle in Damascus as Annan calls for peace
Syria has told the U.N. it has begun withdrawals, but there were still reports of violence in the country – including attempts by the army to prevent civilians from escaping gunfire. In Damascus, fresh blood was visible on the streets.
A man calling himself Abu Mustafa, speaking from Zabadani near the Lebanon border, told Reuters: "They are complete liars, there is no army withdrawal, they are still in the middle of the city. They fired on the city this morning, like they do every day,"
However, he did acknowledge a pullback. "The army withdrew 15 tanks yesterday, but the rest are all around the checkpoints as usual," he said.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told msnbc.com in an email on Thursday afternoon that at least 33 people, including 14 soldiers, were killed in the past 24 hours.
Anita McNaught, reporter for Arab news channel Al Jazeera, reported from the Turkey-Syria border that families were still fleeing the country for their safety.
"The Syrian army is bombing all around the governates of Idlib and Aleppo," she said. "The way the Syrian army has positioned itself now is to cut off escape routes.”
In a report from Beirut, the BBC's Jim Muir said activists “are giving the clear impression that the Syrian regime is having a final crack at rebels before the ceasefire deadline”.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
And just what is KOFI going to do about it !!!!!!!!!!!
About the only thing I can think of . Is to take ASSAD over his knee and SPANK HIM . Other than that he can't do squat !!!
bob
I am sure the people who will die between now and the 12th will be just very thankful the UN has stepped in...How about stopping it now... Or just more idle threats
(Assad Laughs) ... "I got you covered Kofi .... call me next month ...and we'll talk again"
HEY people the problem with you all , you have no idea what the heck is going on , you expect ASSAD to stop but its OK for these thugs of ALQUIDA to keep shooting and killing people , I guess you did not see the report of the US AMBASSADOR AND HUMAN RIGHT WATCH THAT told us that these innocent rebels of yours are killing civilians torturing Christians and decapitating them but I GUESS YOU just like HILLARY CLINTON , MCCAIN AND OFF COURSE THE SAUDIS TURKEY AND QATAR just want him out because he does not fit in their scheme , its sad these day how technology help you to fabricate events and lie to people and our fine MEDIA doing a hell of job of it , GO ASSAD i hope he defeat all these Muslim bro-other hood and ALQUIDA , if you saw our troops lying on the street of AFGHAN STAN yesterday you will feel the same way , these SAUDIS still sending money and financing these ALQUIDA AND TALIBAN till this day . these people play on your feeling and tell you ASSAD killing children and women , why in the hell does he have to lose any of troops like he doing now . if he so brutal why does not he just bomb all these people with his air force and kill all of them just like our friends the Turk's do in IRAQ AGAINST THE Kurd's AND Israel does in GAZA , and why wold go and visit all the area and talk to civilians there , HECK if so bad why does he have to worry about that , you just ask the dam FRENCH AND THE Saudis the BRITISH AND QATAR . THEY HAVE THEIR MERCENARIES fighting their now next to of these thugs they even brought all their ALQUIDA fighters with them . why don't ask our reporters from CNN TO tell you the TRUTH Rather than telling bunch of lies . these people should be hold accountable , because they want us to send our troops to fight these people dirty war , I know our GENERALS are smarter than that . god bless our troops and may god bless the USA .
Maybe the UN can give them all Cholera like they did to the Haitians!
Also, Hilary is spelled with one L. I'm not disagreeing with anyone by saying that, just saying.
Kofi Annan, UN human rights groups and the oil companies' puppets should ask more monies from the Saudis and co.
Saudis and co have become richer by manipulating oil prices again on Iran just like Iraq.
They should not sell themselves dirt cheap!
Google "UN Coruption"... over 50% of the money we give them *poof* disappears. The rules were recently changed so that anyone accused of embezzling millions of dollars can escape punishment by resigning. NO, I am NOT making this up. Our money, yours and mine. Sickening.
Ron Paul WILL make that stop.
In his speech to 8500 at UC Berkeley tonight, Ron Paul said he would save medicare by bringing the troops home. WIN - WIN!!!!
If you can't get behind that, your "liberalism" is totally FAKE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDAo-V9GBrc&feature=share
Listen to The Man!!!!
Kofi Annan: "And if you don't stop on the 12th, I'll get REALLY REALLY mad. And my big sister Hillary will whip your butt."
denver
Hillary can't WHIP CREAM !!!!!!
She is just the messenger with a fancy title. Best we stay out of it . Russia and China are starting to grumble about their boy Assad. It might not be to much longer and they will come down hard on him. One way or another Assad will fall.
Sure..., just like that little dictator in North Korea or the looney tune in Iran?
People are forgetting oil price surges, al-Qaida and nukes on sale/stealing in Pakistan.
Saudis, oil companies and Jewish lobbies are pointing to McCains, Hillarys and others in the direction of Syria and Iran!
Iraqi wars have not taught lessons to many!
"Hey guys, hurry up and get all of the killing and destruction out of your system because you've only got a week left." Love, Kofi
What utter nonsense! End it today!
lol why not sooner like today Kofi? Oh wait, you didnt say Simon Kofi. Must be sad to be a dictator without a country or UN.
Where's the ARAB League in all of this??? Muslims killing muslims, Syrians killing Syrians, let the carnage continue. US stay out of it!
"Kofi who, doesn't he play for the Lakers ?", Assad. What are the UN peacekeepers going to do, go in and rape the Syrian men and women?
bill-765872: "Kofi who, doesn't he play for the Lakers ?", Assad. What are the UN peacekeepers going to do, go in and rape the Syrian men and women?"
The UN should have sent an American, to lead the negotiation, beat her fist on the table in front of Assad, and threaten to call in the tanks. That's the only thing that would be good spectacle enough for the fawning American mob!
Wonder how much money the UN gave o'l Kofi baby for these stern words? That would be American taxpayer dollars because the UN doesn't have any dollars because Kofi baby and his son little Kofi stole them.
"Wonder how much money the UN gave o'l Kofi baby for these stern words? That would be American taxpayer dollars because the UN doesn't have any dollars because Kofi baby and his son little Kofi stole them."
The Volker committee found conflict of interest because a company had used its connections to Annan's son to secure a contract under the U.N. Oil for Food deal with Iraq. But it didn't establish that Annan himself was aware of this. And unless you don't understand conflict of interest, probably the result of declining educational standards in the U.S. these days, it's strange how you would suppose that the matter involved Annan and his son stealing U.N. money. Or, is it the case that you easily bought into the conservative propaganda against Annan for daring to call Iraq invasion what it was: illegal? Having observed over time the incredible incredulity of the American mob, that wouldn't surprise me at all. The greatest threat to American democracy is not those foreigners refusing to embrace America's democracy export, they have a right to refuse or accept it; it is the ease with which interest groups like the military-industrial complex can buy Americans, from the ordinary Joe on the street to the president in the White House. What you have is plutocracy, not a democracy. But they make you feel part of the system by titillating you with the reality show you call elections. It's a complete sham.
30+ More MURDERED in Syria today. The only thing kofi annon and his son are good for is taking Bribes and Blood money to keep quiet. What's the matter kofi, the MURDERER Ass-Head won't pay? Shut Up and Go Away you Useless UN FOOL.
Why not wait until 4th of July?
You just know Assad and his "I'm the REAL dictator" wife are going to be assassinated. It's just a matter of time, if not this year then eventually.
How much time does it actually take to stop killing people?
What's Kofi going to do about it if they don't stop?
The rebels should make nice to Al Qaida who will, in turn, blow up Assad and his family.
Or the Turks will invade.
Or a Lebanese hit man will assassinate the bad guys.
Or the CIA will make it look like the Russians did it.
Or Israel will make it look like Iran did it.
Or Iran will make it look like Iran did it so that they can accuse Israel of doing it and just making it LOOK like Iran did it
The U.S. must not get involved in this or any other "peace-keeping" mission. We've done enough and sacrificed too many American lives for nothing. Bring our troops home to guard OUR borders. The whole middle east isn't worth a pail of camel sweat.
Peace keeping mission??? No such thing...just look back at our and everyone's history!!! We make war...in the guise of peace keeping.
"Pail of camel sweat" is too kind... Americans have fought and died for freedom throughout our history... Let the Syrians do the same. If Iranians, Afghans or any muslim country truly want freedom from mullahs and dictators, let them unite and fight. US stay out of it!
Syria’s year-long conflict must end at 6:00 a.m. ...
... or what? A new deadline?
Accompanied by a stern look.
Rumor has it that the stern look might even be accompanied by a strongly worded letter!
"OR?"
We better watch out! We are close to calling it quits in Afganistan and when that happens we will be all out of war!!! Can we stand it? No! That is until the Republicans find another source of WMDs...probably Iran! Get the warmongers out of Congress and don't send any more in.
So in other words, continue the murder and mayhem for another week and then feel free to stop. Why would you ever say that? The statement should be ‘STOP TODAY, NOW, NOW, NOW!!!!”
Jim-1643143 yes stop now SAUDI ARABIA TURKEY QATAR STOP sending arms and men into SYRIA TO KEEP THE KILLING GOING Assad wont stop as long as these thugs killing his people and i do not blame him , try and see if somebody come to your neighborhood and start killing your family and Friends , I wonder what you want our government to do buddy , Do not judge people and other government while you sitting her watching dirty lies on the TV , when PRES. CLINTON attacked the people in WACO TEXAS , i did not see the Russians or anybody saying anything ,simply because its our problem not theirs ,and I am sure we would told them to go to hell if anybody said anything , But no MCCAIN wants to send money and troops to Syria and he want to send money to the people in Russia to upraise against PUTIN , WHAT A CLASS OF NOT RESPONSIBLE , I am so glad he did not win him and gun slinging PALIN or we would been in WW3 BY NOW , THANK GOD FOR SMALL FAVORS
Alright, everyone's real funny here today; but seriously, if but for a moment....
It still must be a bit scary to be Mr. Assad; knowing what's happened recently to people like himself?
What happens to a mind in that position? Why does it look like most of these despots are in denial?
Don't place any high dollar bets in Vegas in favor of the violence stopping on Annan's schedule.
Just Shaddup a you face Koffi, nobody is listening. Your nothing but a powerless embezzler.
Don't we have huge debts and economic mess right in the US, Britain and other oil importing nations?
At least for a change, give a break for doing dirty jobs for Sunni Saudis and their pals, oil companies and Jewish lobbies.
Let Saudis & co handle Syria and Iran as they did in Bahrain.
Let Hezbollahs and al-Qaida, Muslim brotherhoods fight their Shiites and Sunni battles!
How about they move the deadline a little closer...they gave Assad a WEEK to finish the job!
"or else what?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSXNJMP8ir4
Muslums killing Muslums..it doesnt get any better than that...ALLEHH AKCKBARRR..or something..
This has to be an April Fools joke, not the 12 April deadline Annan has given. Like Assad or the so-called rebels are going to stop shooting, bombing and with drawl. This is a civil war! It is not going to stop because Annan says it must. Ironically, like Obama's Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the MB will eventually be the winners in Syria if Assad falls.
So the Syrian government is supposed to ceasefire on April 12,and withdraw from their own cities. While I don't hear any stern words about the Rebels ceasing fire and withdrawing.If the government is stupid enough to do that,the Rebels will seize control in the cities,and be in a stronger position. But of course that is the west's plan all along. If the Rebels don't withdraw and ceasefire on that date,then the government should tell the UN to take a hike.