Statement on behalf of the
Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy for Syria
The
Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy condemn in the strongest possible
terms the killing, confirmed by United Nations observers, of dozens of men,
women and children and the wounding of hundreds more in
the village of El-Houleh, near Homs. Observers from the UN
Supervision Mission in Syria have viewed the bodies of the dead and confirmed
from an examination of ordnance that artillery and tank shells were fired at a
residential neighbourhood.
This
appalling and brutal crime involving indiscriminate and disproportionate use of
force is a flagrant violation of international law and of the commitments of
the Syrian Government to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres
and violence in all its forms. Those responsible for perpetrating this crime
must be held to account.
The
Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy extend their profound sympathies
to the families of the victims and to the wounded, and underscore their grave
concern about the lack of protection for civilians in Syria.
The
Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy demand that the Government of
Syria immediately cease the use of heavy weapons in population
centres. They reiterate that all violence in all its forms in Syria
must cease.
The
Joint Special Envoy is contacting the Syrian authorities to convey in the
clearest terms the expectations of the international community, and he will
also do so during his forthcoming visit to Syria.
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