Secretary-General, UN-Arab League envoy condemn latest attacks on Syrian civilians

July 14, 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Envoy for the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, Kofi Annan, on Friday strongly condemned the attacks of Thursday in the Syrian village of Tremseh which reportedly resulted in over 200 deaths, adding that this violates the Government’s commitment to the six-point peace plan. UN Secretary-general said in a statement that he is “outraged” by reports of horrific mass killings in Tremseh in the province of Hama, noting that many civilians, including children and those fleeing shelling, were among those reportedly killed.
According to media reports, the village was bombarded by helicopter gunships and tanks and then stormed by militiamen who carried out execution-style killings. The victims were mostly civilians and, if confirmed, it would be the worst single incident of violence since the conflict began 16 months ago.
Mr. Ban said these acts of violence cast serious doubts on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent expression of commitment to the six-point plan presented by the Joint Special Envoy. That plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.

“The Syrian Government must halt this bloodshed and recognize that armed confrontation is the wrong course and must end now. I also urge the armed opposition to abide by its commitments under the six-point plan,” Mr. Ban said, adding that those responsible for these abuses must be brought to justice.