BEIRUT (Reuters) – Escalating violence in Syria forced United Nations observers to suspend operations n yesterday, in the clearest sign yet that a peace plan brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan has collapsed.
Chief monitor General Robert Mood said the fighting posed a threat to his unarmed observers, one of whose patrols was fired upon four days ago, and prevented them from carrying out their mandate to oversee Annan’s widely ignored April 12 ceasefire. The Norwegian peacekeeper blamed both government troops and rebels for the relentless conflict, in which President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are trying to crush an increasingly well-armed insurgency which grew out of a 15-month-old wave of protests.
“There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days,” Mood said.
“The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides.”
Diplomats say Mood is expected to brief the United Nations Security Council tomorrow or Tuesday about the unrest in Syria, which the head of UN peacekeeping described this week as a full-scale civil war. The United States said it was consulting with international partners on “next steps” and called on Syrian authorities to uphold commitments to Annan’s peace plan “including the full implementation of a ceasefire”.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned Assad’s government for failing to halt the killing and said the worsening instability “calls into serious question the viability of the UN mission” in Syria.
Despite their condemnation of Assad, Washington and its Western allies have shown no appetite for a Libya-style military intervention, while veto-wielding UN Security Council members Russia and China have shielded Damascus from UN sanctions.US President Barack Obama will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Mexico, but expectations are low for any progress to break their deadlock on Syria.
Mood said the violence posed “significant risks” to the 300 unarmed members of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), who have been operating there since late April.
“In this high-risk situation, UNSMIS is suspending its activities. UN observers will not be conducting patrols and will stay in their locations until further notice,” Mood said, noting the decision would be reviewed on a daily basis.
Last Tuesday shots were fired at a car carrying UN observers who were turned away from the town of Haffeh by angry Assad supporters throwing stones and metal rods at their convoy. Three U.N. cars were also damaged in May when they were caught up in an attack that killed 21 civilians in Khan Sheikhoun.
