(Vatican Radio) More than 20 thousand deaths and over a quarter million people driven
from the homes and forced to flee the country – these are the official tolls over
18 months of violence in Syria, according to a report presented to the United Nations
Human Rights Council. Over the weekend, the U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met
with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time, confirming that he feels
the deteriorating Syrian situation is a global threat. The Chairman of the International
Commission of Inquiry for Syria, Brazilian diplomat Paolo Pinheiro addressed the violence
in remarks before the Rights Council in Geneva, saying atrocities have been committed
by parties on all sides of the conflict. Listen: