During a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said that the civil war in Syria has reached “unprecedented levels of horror”. Meanwhile UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon issued a public appeal on Wednesday for an increase in aid to the country from foreign donors.
Lakhdar Brahimi at the Security Council
UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told the Security Council meeting that “Unprecedented levels of horror have been reached. The tragedy does not have an end… The country is breaking up before everyone’s eyes. Only the international community can help, and first and foremost the Security Council.” (Quote taken from BBC whose reporter attended the meeting).
Mr Brahimi also expressed his frustration over inaction from the Security Council, which is deeply divided over Syria.
“The Security Council simply cannot continue to say: ‘We are in disagreement, therefore let’s wait for better times.’ I think they have to grapple with this problem now,” he said.
The Security Council is divided between western nations who would like to introduce stronger measures against President Assad on one side, and China and Russia on the other. Russia has proven to be Assad’s strongest ally, and has supplied weapons to his regime.
Ban Ki Moon’s Appeal
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appealed for an end to the violence, and for more aid to address the humanitarian situation
“How many more people will be killed if the current situation continues? I appeal to all sides and particularly the Syrian government, to stop the killing … in the name of humanity, stop the killing, stop the violence,” he told a conference of UN humanitarian program donors in Kuwait.
Mr Moon appealed for donors to help the UN reach an ambitious target of $1.5 billion in donations by the end of the conference.
The Latest Syrian Atrocity
The latest UN appeal comes as evidence of another massacre emerged from the Northern city of Aleppo. A video posted by opposition activists inside Syria shows the bodies of 71 people found along the bank of a river in the Bustan al Qasr district. Most of them appeared to have their hands tied, and gunshot wounds to the head – indicating execution style killings.
Both sides blamed each other for the murders.
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