Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Syria unrest: UK, France and Italy press for sanctions


European countries have called for "strong measures" to halt repression in Syria, as its government steps up a campaign against peaceful protests.
In a joint statement, France and Italy urged the EU and UN to put pressure on Syria to end its crackdown.
The UK said it was working to send a "strong signal" to Damascus. The US has said it is considering sanctions.
More gunfire was heard in the city of Deraa on Tuesday, a day after troops and tanks were deployed.
Deraa has been at the centre of protests against President Bashar al-Assad.
But there have been numerous reports of a crackdown and arrests around Syria in recent days, despite the lifting of an emergency law last week.
Syria's security forces have shot dead more than 400 civilians in their campaign to crush the month-long pro-democracy protests, according to Sawasiah, a Syrian human rights organisation.
It has called on the UN Security Council to convene and start proceedings against Syrian officials in the International Criminal Court.
According to a UN Security Council diplomat, the UK and other European states are circulating a draft statement condemning the violence in Syria.
'Reform not repression' Speaking at a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said France and Italy were calling for an end to violence.
Map showing Syria
"We issue a strong call on the authorities in Damascus to end the violent repression," he said.
But Mr Sarkozy said France would not intervene in Syria without a Security Council resolution.
The UK reiterated the call to halt violence.
"The United Kingdom is working intensively with our international partners to persuade the Syrian authorities to stop the violence and respect basic and universal human rights to freedoms of expression and assembly," said Foreign Secretary William Hague.
"We must see acts of genuine reform not repression."
Meanwhile the US state department warned American citizens to stay away from Syria, and for those who were there to leave while there were still commercial flights.
It added that some non-essential embassy staff and all embassy dependants would be leaving.
International concern The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones, in neighbouring Lebanon, says the Syrian government disputes the Western view that the demonstrations have been non-violent.
In a statement carried by the official news agency, it said it had sent troops to several cities on the request of citizens who were worried about "armed extremists".
Arrests were made and those people would be processed through the civil courts, the government statement added, following the lifting of emergency laws last week.
The agency said some soldiers were killed in the fighting as the army moved into the southern city of Deraa.
Our correspondent says communication with Syria is virtually impossible, though there are reports of continuing clashes as the government tries to re-establish control of the city.
Gunfire can be heard on video footage which has been put on the internet and is said to have been filmed on Tuesday.
On Monday witnesses said the army had advanced into Deraa, using several tanks to support thousands of troops. Security forces also reportedly opened fire in a suburb of Damascus.
"The bullets continue against the people, but we are resisting," local activist Abazid Abdullah told AFP news agency.
Source-BBC

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