U.N. Official Says Syria Now in Civil War
Syria is now in a full-scale civil war, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said, as the United States voiced fears the U.N. mission in the country may not survive once its mandate expires in July.
World powers are groping to find a way to end the bloodshed in Syria with the toll growing daily despite a ceasefire that should have gone into effect from April 12, and amid reports of children being used as human shields.
Asked whether he believed Syria is in a civil war, Ladsous told reporters: "Yes I think we can say that. Clearly what is happening is that the government of Syria lost some large chunks of territory, several cities to the opposition, and wants to retake control.
"I think there is a massive increase in the level of violence, so massive indeed that in a way it indicates some change of nature," Ladsous added.
The undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations is the most senior U.N. official to indicate he believes there is a civil war. U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said last week that he believed it was "imminent.”
Given the prolonged violence in the 15-month conflict, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton openly questioned whether the U.N. mission in Syria could survive once its 90-day mandate expires on July 20.
"If there is no discernible movement by then it would be very difficult to extend a mission that is increasingly dangerous for the observers on the ground," Clinton told a forum in Washington.
U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has been trying to implement on the ground his six-point peace plan, which calls for both sides to lay down their arms immediately and participate in a Syrian-led political transition.
But there has been increasing violence as President Bashar Assad has refused to step aside and instead unleashed his heavily armed forces against the opposition.
With the Annan peace plan not yet in effect, the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council are studying "various options" on its future, Ladsous said. A central element would be to see whether a political dialogue can be started.
A diplomatic flurry in past days has seen various ideas put forward on how to end the violence, including finding ways to unite the splintered Syrian opposition.
The United States has voiced concerns that the regime is planning to carry out new atrocities, after the massacre of 55 people last week in Al-Kubeir and at least 108 near Houla in late May.
The almost 300 observers in the U.N. mission face a "grave security risk," Ladsous said. UNSMIS is "a peacekeeping force when there is definitely no peace to observe, that summarizes the situation," he added.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/43249 |