Security Council Meets Again on Syria, Ban Says Assad 'Lost All Humanity'

The U.N. Security Council began a second day of talks on Syria Tuesday after President Bashar al-Assad's tanks shelled the protest hub of Hama on the opening day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

At least 24 civilians were reported killed across the country on Monday, among them 10 during protests after special evening prayers, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.

Syrian tanks shelled the outskirts of Hama, he said.

The fresh violence came as the Security Council held a first session of emergency talks on the deadly crackdown, with Western powers again demanding a condemnation of the violence, but the closed session ended with no agreement.

A top U.N. official told the meeting 140 people were reported killed in an army assault on Sunday, mostly in Hama, while 3,000 people have gone missing and 12,000 taken prisoner since anti-regime protests erupted in mid-March.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal hope to revive a formal resolution condemning Assad's crackdown. Russia and China -- two of the five permanent Security Council members with veto power -- threatened to block past attempts to pass a resolution on Syria.

Brazil, India and South Africa have also spoken out against a resolution or statement.

As fresh talks got underway Tuesday, European nations distributed the text of a new draft resolution, but Russian and Indian envoys said it was barely different from a version they had already rejected.

"It is not new," said Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.

Indian envoy Hardeen Singh Puri, president of the council for August, said "there has been no change to the text which was on the table; there has been some technical update."

Later on Tuesday U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has "lost all humanity.”

The U.N. secretary general vented his growing anger at Assad's refusal to acknowledge international criticism.

"Since the beginning of this situation, I have issued many statements, I have spoken to President Assad several times, and I have expressed my sincere wish and genuine wish that he should genuinely, genuinely address these issues in a peaceful manner," Ban told a small group of reporters.

Highlighting weekend violence in which about 140 people were killed in a military offensive on Hama and other towns, Ban added: "This is a totally unacceptable situation.

"He (Assad) must be aware that under international humanitarian law, this is accountable. I believe that he lost all sense of humanity," Ban said.

"He must address this issue, listening to the calls of the international community and more importantly, listening to the aspirations and genuine wishes of his people."

The 15-nation council is under mounting international pressure to take a stand on violence in Syria but some diplomats say it is more likely it will now try to agree on a less formal statement, with no warning of U.N. action.

The international community's stand on the Syria crisis does not include any plans for a Libya-style military intervention to halt the bloodshed, France said on Tuesday.

"The situations in Libya and Syria are not similar" and "no option of a military nature is planned," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages said in Paris.

The U.N. meeting came after Assad showered praise on his troops to mark Syria's Army Day on Monday, saying in a speech that the military had "proved its loyalty to its people, country and creed."

"Its efforts and sacrifices will be admired. These sacrifices succeeded in foiling the enemies of the country and ending sedition, preserving Syria," the president said.

State news agency SANA reported that "saboteurs" stormed the main courthouse in Hama and set fire to offices on Monday.

Meanwhile, U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay warned the Syrian regime that the "world is watching" its deadly crackdown against protesters and that attempts at impose a news blackout were not working.

Pillay also reiterated that the government must halt the violence immediately and that an international and independent probe must be launched to investigate the deadly crackdown.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad, on a three-day visit to India, called on New Delhi to use its influence on the Security Council to thwart the West.

"I am here to brief the Indian leadership against the prefabricated misinformation and on the unrealistic propaganda machinery against Syria," Muqdad said in a television interview.

Diplomats in New York said all countries expressed concern about the intensifying crackdown and there was now wider acceptance that the Security Council must act.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the holdouts to reconsider. "And we call on the international community to come together behind the people of Syria in this critical time," she said.

The European Union on Tuesday added Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib Mahmoud and four others, including Assad's uncle Mohammed Makhlouf, to its blacklist of individuals and businesses associated with the repression.

"The message is clear and unambiguous: those responsible for the repression will be singled out and held accountable," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

The latest measures bring to 38 the number of people and businesses targeted by the 27-nation bloc, including members of Assad's family and three commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard accused of aiding the crackdown.

Italy recalled its ambassador in Damascus for consultation given the "horrible repression against the civilian population," the foreign ministry said in Rome on Tuesday.

More than 1,600 civilians and 369 members of the army and security forces have been killed since March 15 in Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory.