UN Commission reports on Syria

(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: