U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan E. Rice today said an overwhelming majority of UN member states have backed the plan put forward by the Arab League to end the suffering of Syrians.
In her remarks on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Syria, Ms. Rice said Bashar al-Assad has never been more isolated. She adds that rapid transition to democracy in Syria has garnered the resounding support of the international community.
“Today, the UN General Assembly sent a clear message to the people of Syria: the world is with you.”
– Ms. Rice
She states that the resolution strongly condemns Assad’s 11-month campaign of murder and torture. She adds it demands an end to the killing machine.
She underlines that the resolution demands that the Syrian government release all political prisoners; assure the freedom of peaceful demonstrations; and guarantee full and safe access to Arab League representatives and international media, and to humanitarian aid workers, who seek only to protect a people who have endured unimaginable violence.
“The international community has just given its firm support to the Arab League’s plan to facilitate a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system, “in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations or ethnicities or beliefs.”
– Ms. Rice
She says that the only question is how many more women, men and children from demonstrators on Syria’s streets to those taking shelter in homes and hospitals will suffer or be killed by Assad before that transition begins.
She stresses that the people of Syria, from Homs and Damascus to Hama and Idlib, from Aleppo to Daraa, should now know that the nations of the world stand with them and support all the Syriana as they pursue a future of freedom and safety.
The Assembly has expressed deep concern on the escalation of violence in the region in the recent months.
The death toll keeps rising in Syria as Government forces continue their deadly crackdown against the pro-democracy protesters.
UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria’s crackdown on protests which erupted against Assad in March, inspired by uprisings that toppled three Arab leaders last year.
Syria says 2,000 members of the government forces have been killed by “armed terrorists.”
