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Violence Rages in Syria as UN Passes Resolution |
4 August 2012Syrian security forces cracked down hard on rebels in Damascus and Aleppo on Friday, while U.N. diplomats condemned the Syrian government and criticized the Security Council for their roles in the country's 17-month old uprising.
Activists say Syrian troops stormed opposition strongholds in the suburbs of the capital and shelled some neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that about two dozen people were killed in unrest across Syria.
Ban pleads for gobal powers to end war
At the U.N., the General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution that condemns Syria's use of heavy weapons in the fight against rebel forces. The vote also criticizes the U.N. Security Council for failing to stem the violence in Syria.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said the Syria conflict is now a "proxy war" and urged major powers to end the violence. He said the "the immediate interests of the Syrian people must be paramount over any larger rivalries of influence."
Syria allies Russia and China have previously vetoed three Security Council resolutions on Syria. Ban said the Council has become "paralyzed" over Syria.
Syria remains belligerent
Syria blasted the General Assembly's action. The country's U.N. ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari called the resolution a "piece of theater" that would have no impact on the country.
The assembly vote took place a day after Kofi Annan announced his resignation as U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, blaming what he called a lack of unity in the Security Council.
Both the Syrian rebels and the government failed to commit to Annan's peace plan, which included an immediate cease-fire and talks on a transitional government.
The Security Council resolutions vetoed by China and Russia would have held Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responsible for his failure to abide by the Annan plan and threatened him with sanctions.
Video of Kofi Annan's resignation and international reaction |
4 August 2012
Voice of America News
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