New York, Mar 17 2012 10:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned today's bomb attacks in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed or wounded scores of people.
Mr. Ban extended his sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Syria, and once again called for an immediate end to the violence.
Media reports indicated that at least 27 people died and nearly 100 others were wounded when what appeared to have been explosives packed in cars were detonated.
The United Nations estimates that more than 8,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and tens of thousands displaced since the uprising -- part of the broader Arab Spring movement across North Africa and the Middle East -- began in March last year.
Yesterday, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, Kofi Annan, said he will send a team to the country to continue discussions on proposals h
e has presented to the leadership as he tries to find a peaceful solution to the year-long bloody conflict.
"I will be sending in a team this weekend to pursue the discussions and the proposals we left on the table, and at the appropriate time, when I deem sufficient progress has been made, I shall be prepared to go back to the region," Mr. Annan told reporters in Geneva after briefing the Security Council in New York through video-link.
He said his immediate objectives are to try to stop the violence and human rights abuses and to make it possible for humanitarian assistance to be delivered to those who need it inside Syria. That should be followed by the "all-important issue of a political process that will lead to a democratic Syria fulfilling the aspirations of the Syrian people," he said.
Mar 17 2012 10:10PM
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