Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

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Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

2 April 2012 ?

The Syrian Government has informed the lead international envoy dealing with the crisis in that country that it will complete the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from population centres by 10 April, the President of the United Nations Security Council said today.

The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, briefed the Council via video-link in a closed-door session earlier Monday, telling the 15-member body that he was informed of Syria?s decision in a letter he received yesterday from the country?s foreign minister.

?Mr. Annan said he wished that he had this confirmation of action sooner,? Ambassador Susan Rice of the United States, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council for this month, told reporters after the session.

Nonetheless, ?he urged the Government of Syria to start immediately and to ensure that forces move no further into population centres,? she said. ?And as he related, that commitment was provided by the Syrian authorities.?

Mr. Annan was appointed Joint Special Envoy earlier this year to try to resolve the crisis in Syria, where more than 8,000 civilians have been killed since March 2011 when a popular uprising began.

When he was in Damascus last month, Mr. Annan put forward a six-point proposal to end the crisis that seeks to stop the violence and the killing, give access to humanitarian agencies, release detainees, and kick-start an inclusive political dialogue.

Ms. Rice noted that Syria?s commitment to complete the cessation of all forward deployment and use of heavy weapons, as well as its withdrawal from population centres, by 10 April, constitutes certain steps of that plan.

At the Friends of Syria meeting that took place in Turkey yesterday, Mr. Annan?s deputy, Nasser Al-Kidwa, had constructive exchanges with the opposition to urge them to cease their operations within 48 hours of a complete cessation of Government hostilities, Ms. Rice reported.

She said the Joint Special Envoy said he is expecting details from the Syrian Government very shortly on the other aspects of his plan, including key requests for humanitarian access, the two-hour daily humanitarian pause, as well as access for the media and the political process.

In addition, a team from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), joined by some of Mr. Annan?s staff, will travel again to Syria this week to continue preparations for a potential ?monitoring and supervisory mission? of the UN.

?Mr. Annan asked the Security Council to support the April 10 deadline and, given the urgency of the situation, to begin consideration of a potential UN monitoring mission,? said Ms. Rice, adding that the head of DPKO, Herv? Ladsous, also briefed the Council on the contingency planning for such a mission.

?All members of the Security Council expressed full support for Joint Special Envoy Annan and called for his six-point plan to be implemented immediately, including a political process leading to a transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for democracy, a key point reiterated more than once by the Joint Special Envoy,? Ms. Rice stated.

She added that some Council members expressed concern that the Syrian Government not use the next days to intensify the violence and expressed ?some scepticism about the bona fides of the Government? in this regard.?But in general, Council members expressed a willingness to consider Mr. Annan?s plan for a monitoring mission if indeed a cessation of violence is achieved,? she said.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41688&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Syrian parties should cease all violence in one week ? UN-Arab League envoy

5 April 2012 ?
The Syrian Government and opposition forces should have ceased all violence by Thursday, 12 April, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations-League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, said today, adding that Damascus has informed him that the withdrawal of its troops from populated areas will be completed on Tuesday.

?Upon completion by the Government of its commitments by Tuesday, 10 April, all parties should move immediately to cease all forms of violence, so that a complete cessation is in place by 0600 hours Damascus time on Thursday, 12 April,? said Mr. Annan in a briefing, by video-link from Geneva, to an informal meeting of the General Assembly in New York.

?I urge the Government and opposition commanders to issue clear instructions so that the message reaches across the country, down to the fighter and soldier at the local level,? he told the Assembly members.

The UN estimates that more than 8,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, with another million people needing humanitarian relief inside the country, and tens of thousands displaced since the uprising in Syria ? part of the broader Arab Spring movement across North Africa and the Middle East ? began in March last year.

Mr. Annan also voiced concern that violence has not abated and that alarming levels of casualties and abuses continues to be reported daily, although the Government had informed him of a partial troop pull-out from three locations ? Idlib, Zabadani, and Deraa.

?I await further action and fuller information,? he said. ?The Government has indicated that it will continue to update me on steps it is taking. But it is clear that more far-reaching action is urgently required.?

Mr. Annan told the Assembly that, as agreed with the Syrian authorities, a UN team, including officers from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), had arrived in the country to start technical preparations for the potential deployment of observers to monitor a cessation of armed violence and the full implementation of his six-point peace plan.

The six-point proposal, which was submitted during his visit to Damascus last month, seeks to stop the violence and the killing, give access to humanitarian agencies, release detainees, and kick-start an inclusive political dialogue.

?The violence in Syria cannot be addressed through the means of a traditional observer mission interposed between two armies,? said Mr. Annan. ?There is no established frontline. Peace will not be consolidated without a credible political process. What we would need on the ground is a small and nimble United Nations presence.?

He also stressed the need to quickly move forward on a political process to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people. He urged the international community to remain united behind one mediation effort, which, he said, offered the best chance to end the violence and help the country steer its own course to a peaceful and democratic future.

Earlier, in their remarks to the General Assembly?s meeting, Secretary-General Ki-moon, and the President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, urged the international community to continue supporting the envoy?s initiative.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General noted with concern that bloodshed continues in Syria despite the Government?s acceptance of Mr. Annan?s proposal to end the violence.

?Despite the Syrian Government?s acceptance of the Joint Special Envoy?s plan of initial proposals to resolve the crisis, the violence and assaults in civilian areas have not stopped,? Mr. Ban told the General Assembly meeting. ?The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.?

?It is the responsibility now of the Syrian authorities to deliver on what they have promised, and to implement, fully and unconditionally, all the commitments they have given to Joint Special Envoy Annan,? Mr. Ban added.

He appealed to Syria?s President Bashar al-Assad, his Government and all concerned, to show ?vision and leadership,? and also urged the opposition to be ready to cease all violence, as outlined in Mr. Annan?s plan.

?Beyond a cessation of violence, it is critical to move fast on the political process. A pause in hostilities will not hold without a political horizon,? Mr. Ban said. ?In this regard, the Syrian opposition is taking steps to present itself as a coherent body. This will be important for dialogue.?

The Assembly?s President, Mr. Al-Nasser, also stressed that it is essential that Mr. Assad implement Mr. Annan?s plan immediately, ensuring that Damascus meets its commitment by the 10 April deadline.

?What matters is not words, but implementation,? said Mr. Al-Nasser. ?We are in a crucial moment of the Syrian crisis ? a moment which, depending on what comes next, could have an impact on the whole region. Mr. Annan therefore needs the support of all of us in his endeavours.?

The Security Council today underscored the importance of an effective and credible UN supervision mechanism in Syria to monitor ?a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties and relevant aspects of the Envoy?s six-point proposal.?

In a presidential statement read out by Ambassador Susan Rice of the United States, which holds the Council?s presidency for the month of April, the 15-member UN body requested that the Secretary-General provide proposals for the mechanism as soon as appropriate, after consultations with the Government of Syria.?The Security Council stands ready to consider these proposals and to authorise an effective and impartial supervision mechanism upon implementation of a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties,? said the statement.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41714&Cr=Syria&Cr1=

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Turkey Raises Alarm to U.N. Over Worsening Violence in Syria

By RICK GLADSTONE
Published: April 6, 2012

Turkey?s foreign minister on Friday reported increased Syrian military attacks near the border and a relentless influx of refugees from Syria, saying he had telephoned the United Nations secretary general to express his alarm about the situation in the prelude to a proposed cease-fire in the Syrian conflict that is scheduled to start in less than a week.

The call from the foreign minister, Ahmed Davutoglu, to Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general, came as fleeing refugees provided chilling but unverifiable accounts of massacres by Syrian forces in the northern province of Idlib, including visual evidence of a mass grave.
...
?I told him that there are operations targeting civilians, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib, and that there has been a growing influx of refugees into Turkey as a result of these operations,? Mr. Davutoglu was quoted by the Turkish news media as saying. ?I said that necessary actions must be taken and that the clashes must end immediately.?

Turkish press reports said at least 3,000 Syrians had poured over the border Thursday and early Friday, a record pace that brought the total to nearly 24,000.

More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/w...-rise-in-syrian-attacks-and-refugee-flow.html

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Ahead of proposed peace, Syria shelling continues

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintexclude--><!--no partner-->By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 8:12 PM EDT, Fri April 6, 2012


(CNN) -- The Tuesday deadline for Syria to withdraw its military forces from towns and cities is "not an excuse for continued killing," the spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

Despite the agreed-upon deal, Syria continued attacks in various parts of the country, opposition groups reported.

"The 10 April timeline to fulfill the government's implementation of its commitments, as endorsed by the Security Council, is not an excuse for continued killing," the spokesman said.

Speaking for Ban, he said the secretary-general is concerned at the "rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation" in Syria, which is now affecting more than 1 million people.

"The Syrian authorities remain fully accountable for grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. These must stop at once," he said.

More...
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/06/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Syria casualties increase ahead of UN deadline

<IFRAME height=315 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MFRn_9l1LQU" frameBorder=0 width=560 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Apr 7, 2012

Syrian activists have told Al Jazeera as many as 70 people have been killed near Hama.

Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler reports that things appear to be getting worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFRn_9l1LQU

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Syria suggests it might not pull forces by deadline

<!--endclickprintinclude--><!--startclickprintexclude--><!--no partner-->By the CNN Wire Staff
April 8, 2012 -- Updated 1953 GMT (0353 HKT)

(CNN) -- Syria will not commit to pulling its forces from cities only to have "armed terrorist groups" commit attacks, a Syrian foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday...

The comments, made by Jihad Maqdisi on state-run TV, came two days before a Tuesday deadline for regime forces to withdraw from cities, which the government had agreed to as part of a peace plan laid out by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan.
...
At least 59 peoplewere killed in fresh violence across the country Sunday, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria (LCC), a network of opposition activists.

That means 515 have been killed since President Bashar al-Assad agreed Monday to a complete withdrawal of Syrian forces by April 10, according to opposition activists.

The deaths Sunday included six children, four of them in Idlib, the network said. "The village of Bashira was entirely destroyed and the actual number of martyrs is unknown."

Annan said in a statement Sunday he was "shocked by recent reports of a surge in violence and atrocities in several towns and villages in Syria, resulting in alarming levels of casualties, refugees and displaced persons, in violation of assurances given to me.

"This is a time when we must all urgently work towards a full cessation of hostilities, providing the space for humanitarian access and creating the conditions for a political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people," Annan said.

"As we get closer to the Tuesday 10 April deadline, I remind the Syrian government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable," he said.

Full text:
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/08/world/meast/syria-unrest/?hpt=hp_t1

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

9 April 2012 Last updated at 08:22 ET

Turkey protests as Syrians open fire at border

Turkey has protested after Syrian forces opened fire across the border, the first such attack since Turkey began housing refugees from the unrest.

Turkey summoned Syria's envoy to demand such actions stop.

A clash between Syrian rebels and troops spilled over the border, with at least one person killed and a number injured at the Kilis refugee camp.

The violence comes amid fading hopes that a UN-brokered Syria ceasefire will start on Tuesday as planned.

Clashes have continued in Syria despite the truce deal, which requires Syrian troop withdrawals from towns and cities.

The violence showed no sign of abating on Monday, with at least 50 people reported killed. They included at least 12 members of the Syrian security forces who died in clashes close to the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said.

More...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17656657

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Fighting rages in Syria less than 24 hours to deadline

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
ANTAKYA, Turkey | Mon Apr 9, 2012 9:28am EDT

ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - Syria's conflict spilled over into Turkey on Monday and government forces battled rebel fighters near the border in clashes that appeared to doom a ceasefire less than 24 hours before a U.N.-brokered deadline for a Syrian army pull-back.

Under a deal brokered by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, Syria is to begin withdrawing troops from around urban centers by Tuesday, paving the way for a truce to start 48 hours later.

But the prospect of a ceasefire looked increasingly dim, with no let-up in violence around the country where forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have battled to crush a popular revolt against his rule for more than a year.

In a last-minute move, Assad has demanded written guarantees from opposition fighters that they put down their weapons, prompting Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru to say that the April 10 deadline was now effectively void.

"April 10 has become void. After Kofi Annan's visit tomorrow (to Turkey) a new stage will start," state-run broadcaster TRT quoted Koru as saying on its website.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said through a spokesman that "adding new conditions at this stage is totally unacceptable".

Less than 24 hours before the deadline, fierce fighting raged on the ground, with two Syrian refugees and a Turkish translator wounded by gunfire from Syria at a refugee camp on Turkish territory, according to Turkish officials.

More...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/09/us-syria-idUSBRE83602720120409

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Syrians fire across 2 borders as conflict deepens

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: Apr 9, 2012 19:18 Updated: Apr 9, 2012 19:18

KILIS, Turkey: The bloody conflict in Syria spilled across two borders Monday, killing a cameraman in Lebanon and wounding at least five people in a refugee camp in Turkey as gunfire flew across the tense frontiers, authorities said.

The violence came as a UN-brokered peace plan all but collapsed and bolstered fears that the uprising could spark a broader conflagration by sucking in neighboring countries.

Ali Shaaban, a cameraman for the Al Jadeed television station, was filming in Lebanon?s northern Wadi Khaled area when a bullet pierced his chest, Lebanese security officials said. The gunfire came from the nearby Syrian village of Armouta, the officials said.

Shaaban, who was born in 1980, died on the way to the hospital, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations...

...Monday, Human Rights Watch said it has documented the killings by Syrian forces of 85 civilians, including women and children, and the summary executions of at least 16 wounded or captured opposition fighters.

?In a desperate attempt to crush the uprising, Syrian forces have executed people in cold blood, civilians and opposition fighters alike,? said Ole Solvang, a researcher for the group. ?They are doing it in broad daylight and in front of witnesses, evidently not concerned about any accountability for their crimes.?

The New York-based group said it only included cases corroborated by witnesses, but has received many more reports of similar incidents

Full text:
http://arabnews.com/world/article608850.ece

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Activists deny Syrian claim of pullout

Published April 10, 2012
| Associated Press

BEIRUT ? Syria's main opposition group says 1,000 people have been killed by government forces in the last eight days.

A spokeswoman for the Syrian National Council says troops loyal to President Bashar Assad have intensified their onslaught in opposition areas despite saying it would accept a U.N. peace plan.

SNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani says 160 people were killed in Syria on Monday alone.

Kodmani told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that regime forces have used heavy weapons including anti-aircraft guns against civilians in apparent defiance of an agreement to begin a cease-fire April 10.

She says the humanitarian situation on the ground is "dramatically deteriorating"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/10/activists-deny-syrian-claim-pullout/#ixzz1rdt0Jhoe

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

UN-Arab League envoy presses for ceasefire in Syria


UN and Arab League?s Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan. UN Photo/Fabrice Arlot


10 April 2012 ?

The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, today urged the Syrian Government and opposition forces to stop the violence, stressing that all hostilities must end by Thursday morning.

?We still have time between now and the 12th to stop the violence and I appeal to all concerned, the Government in the first place, and the opposition forces,? Mr. Annan said at a press conference in Turkey.

Last week, the Syrian Government told Mr. Annan that it would complete the withdrawal of troops by 10 April. The Envoy has stated that, once that happens, all parties should move immediately to cease all forms of violence, so that a complete cessation is in place by 06:00 Damascus time on 12 April.

A UN team is in the country to start technical preparations for the potential deployment of observers to monitor a cessation of armed violence and the full implementation of Mr. Annan?s six-point peace plan.

Mr. Annan reiterated his conviction that his plan, which was submitted last month during his visit to Damascus, can still be implemented.

?I believe it?s a bit too early to say that the plan has failed,? Mr. Annan said. ?The plan is still on the table and it?s a plan we are all fighting to implement. It?s a plan the Council has endorsed, a plan the Syrians have endorsed, and from the comments made by the opposition they are also prepared to go along with it if the Government meets its commitments to pull the troops out. So the plan is very much alive.?

Mr. Annan said he would submit a report to the Security Council today sharing the information he has received from the Syrian Government on troop withdrawals, and stated that there have been indications of the Government withdrawing in various cities.

However, he expressed concern over reports from other sources indicating that there have been military movements to other areas which have not previously been targeted.

?We are not on the ground yet. One of the things that we are discussing is a UN monitoring mission that will monitor and supervise the cessation of violence,? Mr. Annan said, underlining that a presence in the country will help to monitor, observe and report on the situation.

Mr. Annan is scheduled to visit a refugee camp in Turkey later today before leaving for discussions with officials in Iran.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it is sending a team to provide technical assistance to nine camps in the border between Turkey and Syria, which have so far been run by Turkish authorities.

UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva that a plane with 1,600 tents and 1,400 blankets was sent to Turkey today, and stressed that the agency is working closely with the Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish authorities to ensure the supplies are distributed locally.

He added that the agency has received reports concerning attacks in refugee camps in Turkey, but stated that details are still unclear and it will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Currently, there are 24,564 registered Syrian refugees in Turkey; 10,112 in Lebanon; 7,021 in Jordan; and 792 in Iraq.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41735&Cr=syria&Cr1=

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

U.N. peace monitors in Syria set to begin mission

By Oliver Holmes
BEIRUT | Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:54pm EDT

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.N. peace monitors are due to start their mission in Syria on Monday to oversee a shaky ceasefire undermined by persistent violence and the shelling of the opposition stronghold of Homs by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

The ceasefire is part of a broader peace plan brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan, but it looked increasingly under threat throughout the weekend as the government vowed a crackdown on a wave of "terrorist attacks" in Syria.

An advance team of five unarmed monitors arrived in the capital Damascus on Sunday evening, a Reuters witness said.

A Syrian official escorting the team at a Damascus hotel told Reuters that more observers were expected to arrive on Monday, but offered no details. Under the U.N. plan, two dozen more observers are due to enter Syria in coming days.

As the monitors prepared to embark on their mission, violence persisted on the ground.

One activist said the city of Homs, one of the hotbeds of opposition to Assad, was bombarded on Sunday by government forces at a rate of "one shell per minute".

Other activist sources said that six people had been killed on Sunday, and four bodies had been found.

More...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/15/us-syria-idUSBRE83E0KP20120415

 

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Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

U.N. Monitors Fail To Halt Violence In Syria

Kelly McEvers, Rima Marrouch and Lava Selo

April 25, 2012

The U.N.-brokered cease-fire in Syria keeps unraveling. Syrian government troops were supposed to pull their tanks and soldiers out of cities and towns, while rebels were supposed to lay down their arms.

Yet hundreds of people have died in recent days, according to activists.

And in some areas, visits by U.N. observers have been followed by intense violence.

<!-- END CLASS="BUCKETTOP" --><!-- END ID="RES151386726" CLASS="BUCKETWRAP PULLQUOTE" -->
Only about a dozen U.N. observers have reached Syria. Wearing their signature U.N.-blue berets or helmets, their goal is to see whether government troops and rebels are sticking to the cease-fire, which went into effect April 12.

In some places, like the flashpoint city of Homs, the mere presence of monitors does seem to be stemming the violence.

Fighting In Hama

But in other locations, like the central city of Hama, it's not so simple.
Videos taken by Hama residents and posted on the Internet show people holding olive branches, crowding around the U.N. monitors' vans, begging for help with detained relatives or destroyed homes.

"Bashar al-Assad kills us," one man says, referring to the Syrian president. "We want freedom."

In another video, you see a soldier standing on a roof in Hama, swiping his hand across his chin in a common Syrian gesture. "Just wait till later," he is saying with his hands. "You'll see."

After the monitors left, people began protesting against the Syrian regime. Activists say snipers posted on rooftops ? like the one in the video ? opened fire ? a fairly common occurrence these days in Syria. To go out and protest is to risk being injured or killed.

More...
http://www.npr.org/2012/04/25/151380493/u-n-monitors-fail-to-halt-violence-in-syria

 

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Re: Syria informs UN-Arab League envoy of commitment to troop withdrawal deadline

Blast in Syria's Hama kills many

Up to 69 people, many of them children, reported to have died in rocket attack on building in flashpoint city.

Last Modified: 26 Apr 2012 13:36

<IFRAME height=315 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DgiasSxoL0Y" frameBorder=0 width=560 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

An explosion has destroyed a building in Syria's central city of Hama, reportedly killing up to 69 people, many of them children.

The opposition Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC) said security forces fired a rocket at the building in the Mashaa Attayar area on Wednesday. The Syrian state news agency reported that the explosion was caused by anti-government bomb-makers who had mishandled explosives.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based rights group, said that it was not sure what had caused the explosion, and it asked UN monitors in the area to investigate.

The group had initially cited witnesses as saying the explosion was caused by government shelling. On Thursday, it reported that 16 people had been killed in the explosion.
...
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/04/2012425223022589689.html