Syrian activists say government forces have killed at the very least 28 people within the city of Hama, someday after residents of the opposition hub welcomed several United Nations soldiers sent to watch a shaky cease-fire within the country's year-long conflict.
The activists say Syrian security forces attacked Hama on Monday morning, shelling its Arbeen district, destroying homes and firing machine guns. Casualties from the assault couldn't be independently confirmed. A small advance team of U.N. observers had visited Hama on Sunday and was greeted by protesters chanting slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
U.N. mission:
Kofi Annan's Six-Point Peace Plan
- A Syrian-led political process to deal with the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.
- A U.N.-supervised end to armed violence by all parties in Syria.
- Timely humanitarian assistance in all areas stricken by fighting.
- Increasing the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained people.
- Ensuring freedom of movement for journalists.
- Respecting freedom of association and the proper to illustrate peacefully.
A U.N. observer spokesman says three more members joined the team Monday, raising its number to 11. A video posted online by activists showed some U.N. monitors visiting the rebellious Damascus suburb of Douma, surrounded by thousands of individuals shouting anti-Assad slogans.
Several U.N. observers also made a temporary visit to the mountainous town of Zabadani near Damascus. Activists said they were disappointed that the monitors refused to examine locations where residents said the federal government was hiding heavy weapons. The Syrian government pledged to withdraw such weapons from population centers this month as a part of a U.N.-backed plan to peacefully resolve its conflict with anti-Assad rebels.
U.N. political views chief Lynn Pascoe said Monday the Assad government's compliance with the peace plan is "clearly insufficient."Â He made the comment in remarks to the U.N. Security Council. Syria has said it's committed to the plan but reserves the correct to reply to attacks by armed terrorists whom it says are driving the revolt.
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told VOA that the observer team in Syria will grow to 30 personnel by the tip of April. The safety Council has authorized a mission of as much as 300 unarmed monitors, but exiled Syrian opposition leaders say that number is simply too small to hide Syria's vast territory.
Additional Sanctions
In another development, Western powers announced additional sanctions at the Assad government to pressure it into stopping its deadly crackdown on dissent.
U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order penalizing companies and individuals that supply technology that helps Syria and its regional ally Iran to oppress their people. In a speech on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial in Washington, Mr. Obama promised to not surrender at the Syrian people, whom he said still brave the road and insist to be heard despite your complete "tanks ... torture and brutality unleashed against them."
The European Union also agreed to prohibit exports to Syria of luxury goods favored by Mr. Assad and his wife and block the sale of things that his government could use for internal repression in addition to commercial purposes. EU experts will draw up a listing of banned goods at a later date.
The United Nations estimates that greater than 9,000 people has been killed in Syria's 13-month crackdown at the uprising, while activist groups put the death toll at greater than 11,000.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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