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Friday, April 13, 2012

Turkey urges international community to protect civilians in Syria

In a letter of complaint to the Security Council, Turkey stated that the "international community must act immediately to ensure that violence against the civilian population comes to end" in Syria. 
Here is the original copy.

"10 April 2012
Excellency,
We are extremely concerned by the intensification of violence and human rights violations in Syria.
It is being observed that the Syrian armed forces have recently shifted their military actions on people in the areas close to our common border, leading to a rapid increase in the number of Syrians crossing the border in search of refuge in Turkey. Only over the last week, 6,000 Syrians have arrived in Turkey in addition to the existing thousands. The total number of Syrians who are currently accommodated in Turkish camps along the border surpassed 25,000.

I would like to bring two most recent incidents to your kind attention:
On 9 April 2012, twenty-one wounded Syrian citizens fleeing these attacks crossed over to Turkish territory. Two of them lost their lives shortly after their arrival.

On the same date, as a result of cross border gun fires from Syria, two Syrian nationals who took shelter in the Kilis Container Town and two Turkish citizens working there were injured. We strongly condemned this abominable act.

These incidents took place at a time when the Syrian Government is expected to cease all military actions against civilians and fulfil all its commitments made through Joint Special Envoy, Mr. Annan.

The international community must act immediately to ensure that violence against the civilian population comes to end.

I would be grateful if the text of the present letter could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 34, and of the Security Council.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Yours truly,
Ertugrul Apakan 
Ambassador Permanent Representative
H.E. Mr, Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York
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