Syrian forces are reported to have attacked Daraya on Thursday, killing at least 15
people and wounded 150 others. Despite the escalating violence in Syria, United Nations
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the international community cannot accept
that a peaceful solution to the crisis cannot be found.
"I think for the United
Nations to accept that a conflict continues and leads to tremendous suffering and
we should wait until that conflict is ended by military means is not dignified,” he
said. “ It is not in line with what we should do. So the struggle for peaceful settlements
has to continue, and it also has to continue in the case of Syria."
Eliasson
also welcomed the recent appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi as the joint UN-Arab League
Special Representative for Syria, and said his mandate will focus on development and
political issues.
Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Valerie Amos has
recently returned from a trip to Syria, and said government forces and opposition
fighters in Syria are failing to comply with international law to protect civilians.
This
conflict has taken on a particularly brutal and violent character. We have all seen
distressing images on our television screens, and it is ordinary women, men and children
who are caught in the midst of it. I repeat my call to all those engaged in the conflict
to respect civilians and abide by international humanitarian law," she said.
Amos
added health care, shelter, food, water and sanitation are among the most urgent needs
in Syria, but the fighting is preventing help from getting to the areas where people
are most in need.