U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations today said Syria is in a critical point where the violence is escalating with each passing day and more civilians are being killed.
At Security Council stakeout on Sudan and Syria, Ms. Rice she is not sure if there’s a point on the calendar when one can determine that Syria is in civil war.
“I’m certainly not going to make that judgment or prediction. But what is clear is that the situation is deteriorating, it’s increasingly grave, more and more innocent people are dying.” -Ms. Rice
The world has seen the horrific reports of women and children and their bodies on display as a consequence of government-sponsored violence.
A surge of violence in Syria on Monday, mostly in the flashpoint Homs region, killed almost 100 people, including 55 civilians.
Acording to media reports, the violence, which also saw 25 soldiers killed, marks one of the bloodiest days of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime since it erupted in March 2011.
According to Ms. Rice, it’s vitally important that the Security Council support and embrace the Arab League plan in toto to address the surge of violence in Syria.
“We have had ten months of horrific and escalating violence perpetrated by the government against its people. This has led to Syria’s neighbors, as well as the United States, the European Union, many members of the international community, and now, most urgently and importantly, the Arab League stepping in to try to prevent a worst-case scenario in Syria.” -Ms. Rice
She stressed the U.S., UN, and the Security Council share common objective on Syria which is the protection of the people, the ability for them to exercise their rights peacefully and without the threat of violence, and of course, the aspirations of the Syrian people to be recognized.
She reported that the Arab League has now taken a very important step-in addition to its initial effort to deploy, monitors and to table the plan that it did last year-to call on the parties to come together under a plan in which there would be an effort by Assad to yield responsibility to his vice president, a unity government, a constitutional process that would lead swiftly to democratic elections.
She noted it’s vitally important for the Council to stand up and support a process that the neighboring states all have come to us and said, “Please support,” because the alternative is more violence and intensified chaos.
More than 5,000 people have now died since the start of the public uprising in Syria.
The uprising in Syria is part of a broader popular protest movement that has engulfed North Africa and the Middle East this year and led to the toppling of long-term regimes in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen.
