Syrian Foreign Minister blasts international attempts to condemn Syria

Saying that “half the universe” was conspiring against his country, the Syrian foreign minister forcefully rejected a regional attempt to broker an end to the 10-month conflict here on Tuesday and suggested that there would be
no end to the government’s use of force to put down the uprising.

Speaking to reporters in Damascus, the foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, said armed groups had stepped up attacks on the security services and civilians, and promised that the government would deal with the groups “firmly.”

Activists reported a sharp escalation of violence in the last two days, saying at least 17 people were killed in one neighborhood alone in troubled Homs, the city that has become a focal point for concerns about Syria’s slide into
civil war. The Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group, said that across the country, at least 68 people had been killed.

The growing tensions came as regional and Western countries searched for ways to implement an Arab League proposal that called on President Bashar al-Assad to yield power, an ambitious plan that reflected frustrations at every
other effort to stem the killings.

The Arab League is pressing for the United Nations Security Council to endorse its new plan, which also calls on the government to start a dialogue with its opponents that would lead to the formation of a unity government.

At the United Nations on Tuesday, key Western members and their Arab allies drafted a new Security Council resolution that endorses the Arab League action, senior diplomats said. But putting it into play hinged on a briefing from
Nabil al-Araby, the Arab League secretary general, which might happen by video this Friday or could be delayed until he can show up in person on Feb. 8, they said. Such a resolution would have to win the approval of Russia, a close ally of Syria that, along
with China, vetoed a resolution condemning Syria in October.

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Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Jan 25 2012. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry