UK and France seek UN action on Syria as thousands flee

Troops and tanks mass outside ‘ghost town’ after massacre amid mounting fears of slip towards Libyan-style civil war Thousands of residents have fled the northern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour in fear of an imminent onslaught by government troops ordered to take vengeance on one of the centres of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Anticipation of a violent response by the Syrian regime galvanised international diplomatic action, led by France and Britain at the UN, and fuelled a sense that a turning point may be approaching as disorder spreads and the country slips closer to a Libyan-style civil war. The local co-ordinating committees, a network of Syrian activist groups, reported 40 tanks and 50 troop carriers two-and-a-half miles (4km) from Jisr al-Shughour and soldiers in Idleb, the provincial capital. Amateur video also showed armoured units moving into the area. An independent activist in Damascus said he had seen tanks leaving the capital. The forces are thought to be under the command of the president’s brother, Maher, who commands the Republican Guard and other units, and is widely believed to be the man leading Syria’s violent crackdown. “We believe they may send the 4th division to attack as they can be relied on to be loyal,” said an activist who runs a Facebook page on the protests. “The conscripts, people like me, can’t be relied upon when asked to be so brutal.” Although more than 1,110 Syrians have reportedly been killed in nearly three months of unprecedented unrest, it is clear that the crackdown has failed to crush the opposition — even without the sort of high-level defections suffered by Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. Video clips showed Jisr al-Shughour eerily deserted, nothing moving in the streets, and the market shuttered. Residents described it as a ghost town as people streamed towards the Turkish border, which the government in Ankara said would remain open. “We are monitoring developments in Syria with concern,” said the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Syria should change its attitude towards civilians and should take its attitude to a more tolerant level.” The Turkish news agency said about 170 Syrians had crossed the border, and some wounded had been taken to local hospitals. The government in Damascus claims 120 troops and security personnel were killed in an ambush in Jisr al-Shughour on Sunday, but there is no independent confirmation as no foreign journalists are allowed to operate in Syria. Speculation is rife that the incident may have involved a mutiny by security forces who refused to fire on protesters, and were then themselves killed by loyalists. Syrian state TV reported that “armed terrorist organisations” had used government vehicles and uniforms to commit “a brutal massacre”. They “filmed themselves … to manipulate the photos and videos and distort the reputation of the army,” according to Syrian state TV. It showed pictures from the funerals of eight security personnel. Syria Comment, an influential blog based in the US, said: “Syria is slipping towards civil war. The government has met with no success in quelling the revolt despite an escalating death rate and an ever more ruthless crackdown.” At the UN, France and Britain were preparing to put forward a security council motion condemning the Syrian crackdown and demanding accountability and humanitarian access. “If anyone votes against that resolution or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience,” the British prime minister, David Cameron, said in a statement to MPs in London. Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated a draft condemning Syria at the security council last month, but Russia and China have made clear they dislike the idea of council involvement. Both have the power of veto, but may abstain. Western diplomats in New York said they did not expect a vote on Wednesday. The draft urges countries not to supply weapons to Syria, but it would not provide for an arms embargo or other specific punitive measures. The original text was watered down to make it look less like a prelude to further action, such as the military intervention that Nato has conducted in Libya, and which has angered Russia. Diplomats admit privately that they are far less able to influence Syria than Libya, and that there is no prospect of military action against the Assad regime. In Paris the Syrian ambassador was forced to deny she had resigned in protest at attacks on civilians by Assad’s forces. Lamia Shakkour claimed she was the victim of a hoax aimed at embarrassing her country. She called the announcement “misinformation” and “identity theft”. A woman identifying herself as the Syrian ambassador announced her resignation by telephone on the French television news channel France 24 on Tuesday. “I can no longer continue to support the cycle of extreme violence against unarmed civilians,” she said. “I recognise the legitimacy of the people’s demands for more democracy and freedom.” France 24 said it had called a phone number on which it had spoken to Shakkour previously. After the broadcast Reuters said it had received an email that came via the website of the Syrian embassy in Paris, confirming the resignation. But the resignation was immediately denied by news agencies in Syria. Shakkour appeared on another French television station, BFM TV, to deny she had resigned. France 24 said it did not rule out a “manipulation or a provocation” and promised to investigate the alleged hoax. Nidaa Hassan is the pseudonym of a journalist in Damascus Additional reporting: Kim Willsher, Paris Syria Middle East Protest Arab and Middle East unrest United Nations France Europe David Cameron Ian Black Nidaa Hassan guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 8, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.