Syria govt denies blame for Houla killings
28 May 2012 8:37 AM GMT
The Syrian government is 'not at all' responsible for the massacre of at least 92 people in the central town of Houla which has sparked an international outcry, foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdissi said on Sunday.
'We completely deny responsibility for this terrorist massacre against our people,' Makdissi told a news conference.
Blaming 'terrorists' for the deaths on Friday and on Saturday, the spokesman said the government had opened an investigation.
'We have set up a military and legal committee to investigate,' he said.
'The results will emerge within days.'
Makdissi said UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan would arrive in Syria on Monday for fresh talks with senior officials.
Calling for a 'return to dialogue and the negotiating table,' the spokesman said: 'We want calm and we wish Mr Annan well.'
Makdissi said no Syrian tanks had entered Houla and government troops in the town had only acted in self-defence.
'There was an assault by terrorists from 1630 IST until 0130 IST,' he said.
'Not one Syrian tank went in. The Syrian forces did not leave their positions.'
He added, however, that Syrian forces had 'retaliated in self-defence,' and that 'clashes continued until 0130 IST.'
Responding to UN chief Ban Ki-moon's calls to withdraw heavy armoury and tanks from the streets, Makdissi said: 'There are neighbourhoods where there are armed men.
'The observers go into the towns and see with their own eyes,' he said.
'It is the government's right to protect its citizens.'
On Saturday, a team of UN observers visited Houla. The team 'counted more than 32 children and over 60 adults killed,' observer mission chief Major General Robert Mood told reporters in Damascus.
A monitoring group said 114 people had been killed in Houla.
'Whoever started, whoever responded and whoever carried out this deplorable act of violence should be held responsible,' Mood said.
UN LEADS GLOBAL CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION
The United Nations has strongly condemned the massacre of at least 92 civilians, including 32 children, in a village near Homs in Syria, leading global calls for urgent action against those responsible for the 'appalling and brutal crime.'
Observers from the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) confirmed the horrific killings after having viewed the bodies in the village of Houla, They also 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 form,' said a statement issued on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria, Kofi Annan.
'Those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held to account,' it added.
The Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy extended their profound sympathies to the families of the victims and to the wounded, underscoring their grave concern about the lack of protection for civilians in Syria. General Robert Mood, the head of UNSMIS, said that UN observers went to Houla, where they counted more than 32 children under the age of 10 and over 60 adults killed.
'We completely deny responsibility for this terrorist massacre against our people,' Makdissi told a news conference.
Blaming 'terrorists' for the deaths on Friday and on Saturday, the spokesman said the government had opened an investigation.
'We have set up a military and legal committee to investigate,' he said.
'The results will emerge within days.'
Makdissi said UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan would arrive in Syria on Monday for fresh talks with senior officials.
Calling for a 'return to dialogue and the negotiating table,' the spokesman said: 'We want calm and we wish Mr Annan well.'
Makdissi said no Syrian tanks had entered Houla and government troops in the town had only acted in self-defence.
'There was an assault by terrorists from 1630 IST until 0130 IST,' he said.
'Not one Syrian tank went in. The Syrian forces did not leave their positions.'
He added, however, that Syrian forces had 'retaliated in self-defence,' and that 'clashes continued until 0130 IST.'
Responding to UN chief Ban Ki-moon's calls to withdraw heavy armoury and tanks from the streets, Makdissi said: 'There are neighbourhoods where there are armed men.
'The observers go into the towns and see with their own eyes,' he said.
'It is the government's right to protect its citizens.'
On Saturday, a team of UN observers visited Houla. The team 'counted more than 32 children and over 60 adults killed,' observer mission chief Major General Robert Mood told reporters in Damascus.
A monitoring group said 114 people had been killed in Houla.
'Whoever started, whoever responded and whoever carried out this deplorable act of violence should be held responsible,' Mood said.
UN LEADS GLOBAL CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION
The United Nations has strongly condemned the massacre of at least 92 civilians, including 32 children, in a village near Homs in Syria, leading global calls for urgent action against those responsible for the 'appalling and brutal crime.'
Observers from the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) confirmed the horrific killings after having viewed the bodies in the village of Houla, They also 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 form,' said a statement issued on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria, Kofi Annan.
'Those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held to account,' it added.
The Secretary-General and the Joint Special Envoy extended their profound sympathies to the families of the victims and to the wounded, underscoring their grave concern about the lack of protection for civilians in Syria. General Robert Mood, the head of UNSMIS, said that UN observers went to Houla, where they counted more than 32 children under the age of 10 and over 60 adults killed.
Next Story
