Syria unrest: Civilians need protection, says UN

[pampango]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14688718

A UN investigative team has wrapped up its visit to Syria, concluding that "there is an urgent need to protect civilians" from excessive force.

Syria had refused for months to allow a UN mission into the country to investigate the violence. The government allowed the team in last week, promising full and unfettered access.

But the promised free access did not materialise. "The constant presence of government officials limited the mission's ability to fully and independently assess the situation," Mr Haq said.

The team, the first Syria has allowed in since a deadly crackdown on protests began in March, said there was no countrywide humanitarian crisis. "The mission concluded that although there's no countrywide humanitarian crisis, there is an urgent need to protect civilians from the excessive use of force," said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.

[Distant Observer]

1. Syrian civilians were sacrificed to Western lust for sweet crude in Libya

No way Russia and China will allow any UN resolution to help Syrian protestors given what NATO did with the
"civilian protection" resolution on Libya.

Talking of protecting civilians, it looks like NATO is just providing covering fire for destruction of what is left of free civil society in Libya as both sides sink to the level of mutual assured atrocity.

[pampango]

2. Or Russia and China are willing to sacrifice Syrian civilians by vetoing any UN protection

for them. Russia and China won't even allow the UN to adopt sanctions to try to slow Assad's killing machine. If Assad eventually loses this struggle, Syrian civilians might remember who protected him for as long as they could.

I don't think there was much "free civil society" in Libya to begin with. "Free civil society" is not something that dictators find useful to their continued rule. Perhaps that will change in the future.