UN rights body weighing urgent debate on Syria

27 May, 2013 - The Unites States, Qatar and Turkey have asked the United Nation’s top human rights body to hold an urgent debate on the ways to end the civil war in Syria, and to hold accountable those responsible for killing thousands of civilians. Syria's Ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui objected to Monday's request, saying it comes from nations that support the rebels who have been battling the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad since March 2011. U.N. Human Rights Council President Remigiusz Henczel says the council will decide Tuesday whether to hold the debate Wednesday. The U.N.'s top human rights official, Navi Pillay, said the Syrian government continues to use ``indiscriminate and disproportionate force in residential areas'' and to directly target schools and hospitals. She said that rebels were also committing ``wanton human rights violations.'' Earlier on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed extreme concern by the intense fighting in Syria and the increasing risk of the conflict spilling over to Lebanon, and urged all parties to find a political solution to the crisis. (Source: AP)