UN & Manila demand Syrian rebels free Filipino UN observers
March 07, 2013: The Manila government is demanding the immediate release of 21 citizens,
all UN observers, taken hostage by rebel groups Syrians on the Golan Heights.
The
21 people abducted are part of a group of 300 Filipinos from the "United Nations Disengagement
Observer Force [UNDOF] in the Golan Heights". The unit is stationed on the heights
between Syria and Israel to ensure the absence of military actions between the two
ancient enemies since the Yom Kippur War (1973).
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
has condemned the kidnapping and the Security Council has demanded the release of
21 the hostages.
According to UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey, the UN observers
were stopped yesterday by a group of 30 armed near an observation post. A video posted
on the internet shows their capture, which took place near the village of Jamlah,
in the province of Daraa. The group "Martyrs of Yarmouk" has claimed responsibility
and is accusing the UN observers of supporting the Assad government. The group claim
"they will not be released until the forces of Bashar Assad are withdrawn from the
village of Jamlah, on the border with Israel. " There have been recent clashes between
Syrians rebels and army in the area. The "Martyrs of Yarmouk" first accused the observers
of passing information of their position to Syrian soldiers, and then stated that
they took the observers to use them as a human shield, so that the Syrians would not
target them. In any case, they say they are treating the UN observers "like guests".
Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos, said that his countrymen are "being
treated well, like guests and not as an enemy force"
Russian ambassador to
the UN, Vitali Churkin, described the kidnapping of the observers as "particularly
bizarre and unacceptable" given that these peacekeepers are unarmed and have nothing
to do with the Syrian conflict. He has also called on nations to use their influence
on the Syrian opposition to free the hostages. He did not name names, but it is known
that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are suppliers of money and weapons to various
groups fighting Bashar Assad.
In almost two years, the Syrian conflict, which
began as an expression of the Arab Spring, has degenerated into a civil war, with
regional and international dimensions. The UN Security Council is divided between
support for the rebels and Assad, who is supported by Russia and China in particular.