UN Deputy Secretary General for peacekeeping operations Herve Ladsous said at the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the Syrian government will not allow observers of the Friends of Syria Group to enter the country, RIA Novosti cites US representative to the UN Susan Rice as saying.
Istanbul hosted the Friends of Syria Conference in early April. It recognized the Syrian National Council as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people and formed a working group to develop sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad. It approved the plan of Kofi Annan. The Friends of Syria Group includes the US, France, UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The UN Security Council approved sending 300 observers to Syria, including 4 Russians, for 90 days. The resolution says that observers will monitor fulfillment of the plan proposed by Kofi Annan, special envoy of the UN and LAS to Syria.
Annan expressed concerns over reports in Hama. He noted that Homs is no longer suffering from that much violence as before.
France, UK, Germany and Russia expressed surprise with delays in sending observers to Syria. Russian representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that they need to find means to speed up the process.
Annan’s plan demands Syrian opposition and President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to cease-fire and allow deliveries of humanitarian aid.
Annan’s representative Ahmad Favzi said on Tuesday that heavy armoured vehicles were withdrawn. Annan urged the government to stop using heavy weapons in the conflict on Sunday.
