Turkey builds up pressure on Syria; UN human rights committee condemns Syrian crackdown; France backs humanitarian corridor in Syria; Arab League imposes sweeping sanctions on Syria
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    • According to reports, Turkey increased its pressure on Syria following the latest violence when two people were reported wounded when buses carrying Turkish pilgrims on their way home from Mecca came under gunfire near the city of Homs in central Syria. Separately, activists said at least 12 people were killed in raids by Syrian security forces in the provinces of Homs and Hama. Further, in a signal of support for groups seeking to remove Assad, British Foreign Secretary William Hague met representatives of Syria's opposition for the first time, although he said it was too early for London to formally recognise them. However, Russia accused the West of provocative behaviour in the Syrian crisis, saying Western countries were telling the opposition to forget dialogue with the president.1

    In another development, the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee condemned the Syrian government’s crackdown on protests, stepping up international pressure on President Bashar Assad. Jordan was among the nations that co-sponsored the resolution, which included Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco and Qatar, calling on the Syrian government to halt the violence. The resolution was passed by 122 votes to 13 with 41 abstentions. Later, Syria’s UN envoy accused the European backers of the resolution - Britain, France and Germany - of “inciting civil war”.2

    Separately, after a meeting with Syrian National Council (SNC) Chairman Burhan Ghalioun, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that France backs a possible humanitarian corridor in Syria and considers the opposition SNC a legitimate partner with which it wants to work. Juppe ruled out military intervention to create a "buffer zone" in northern Syria but suggested that a "securitised zone" might be feasible to protect civilians and carry in humanitarian aid.3

    In other developments, Arab foreign ministers and Turkey have agreed to a list of sweeping sanctions designed to weaken the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad who defied pressure to halt crackdown on protests. As another 23 civilians were reported dead in Syria, the 22-member Arab League announced an immediate ban on transactions with the Syrian government and central bank and a freeze on Syrian government assets in Arab countries. Further measures, including a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the suspension of flights, are to be implemented at a later date.4

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