French / British draft statement on Syria

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the Syrian armed forces’ heavy shelling of a civilian populated area which resulted in 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. The members of the Security Council extended their profound sympathies and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and underscore their grave concern about the lack of protection for civilians in Syria.

This indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilian population constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043 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 accountable. The members of the Security Council requested the United Nations Human rights Commissioner and the International independent Commission of inquiry to investigate these killings.

The members of the Security Council demanded that the Government of Syria immediately cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres and immediately pullback its troops and its heavy weapons from in and around population centres and return them to their barracks. They reiterated that all violence in all its forms by all parties must cease.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support to the efforts of the Joint Special Envoy for the implementation of its six point plan in its entirety and requested him to convey in the clearest terms to the Syrian authorities the condemnation and the demands of the Security Council.

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