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Head of UN observers in Syria announced the suspension of patrols

UN observers SyriaHead of UN observers in Syria, General Robert Mood, announced on Saturday the suspension of their mission in this country, because of “increasing violence”, according to AFP. “Because of increasing armed violence in the last ten days (…) and because of risks to which is subject to, the UN observer mission (UNSMIS) suspended its activities. Observers will cease patrol mission until further notice. Contact with the parties will be restricted,” said General Mood in a statement. “The absence of the will of both parties (government and opposition) to achieve a peaceful transition and the insistence to military actions result in innocent civilians, men, women and children killed every day. This also increases the risks assumed by the observers,” explained General Mood.

The UN mission was stationed in Syria since April, in order to monitor the implementation of a ceasefire, according to the Annan plan, but which was never carried on. “Escalating violence limits both our ability to observe, verify and report facts and also to help start a local dialogue” between the parties, the general added. “The suspension of activities of this mission will be reviewed daily. Activities will be resumed when we appreciate that the situation will be appropriate,” the statement reads.

“We are ready to cooperate with all parties to help ending violence and to promote a political dialogue. Resumption of our operations remains our goal,” assured General Mood. UN observers stationed in Syria have announced several times that they were prevented from entering into certain areas and were taken as target during their mission. According to a Thursday report from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Syrian Observatory of Human Rights based in London, the violence resulted in at least 3,353 deaths since April 12, the starting date of the ceasefire plan.

Fifteen months after the beginning of a peaceful movement of challenge against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, a movement that turned military against the repression, the international community still remains divided over the means to stop the blood bath that resulted, in total, with over 14,000 dead, mostly civilians, according to the NGO.

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