Beirut (AsiaNews) - The Human Rights Council yesterday condemned Syria for the
Houla massacre. The UN body's vote - 41 in
favor, three (Russia, China and
Cuba) against, two abstentions and one absent - highlights the international community's
opinion of who is most responsible for the Syrian crisis
and the growing international isolation
of Damascus. By now the Assad regime can only
rely on Moscow and
Tehran. Yesterday the Russian delegation voted against the resolution of the Council accusing
it of being "unbalanced".
During the Council meeting, the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, Navi Pillay,
suggested the possibility of accusing
Damascus regime of "crimes
against humanity and other crimes under international law and may be a sign of a scheme of widespread or systematic
attacks against civilians that
have been perpetrated with
impunity. "
The Arab League has also joined its voice to condemnation
of the Houla massacre. In a letter to the Security Council, Nabil Elaraby, Secretary
General of the League, calls for nations "act quickly to put an end to acts of violence taking place in Syria and to take necessary measures to protect the civilian population, including increasing international observers. "
On Tuesday the UN
Assembly is scheduled to examine the Syrian issue, but, apparently,
Kofi Annan, head of
the mediation, is set to report to the Security Council about the lack of progress of his work. (PD)