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)