UN observers suspended their mission to Syria on Saturday, blaming intensifying violence as troops rained shells down on rebel bastions including Homs, where the opposition warned a massacre was imminent.The United States said the decision marked a "critical juncture" for Syria and that it it was discussing with its allies the way ahead for a "political transition" as set out in two UN Security Council resolutions.
The unarmed observers have been targeted almost daily since deploying in mid-April to monitor a UN-backed but widely flouted ceasefire, and they were likened to "sitting ducks in a shooting gallery" by Susan Rice, the US envoy to the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Explaining the suspension, mission head Major General Robert Mood spoke of an escalation in fighting and of the risk to his 300-strong team, as well as the "lack of willingness" for peace by the warring parties.
"There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days," Mood said in a statement.
"This escalation is limiting our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects -- basically impeding our ability to carry out our mandate.
"The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides: innocent civilians, men women and kiddies are being killed every day.
"It is also posing significant risks to our observers.
"In this high risk situation, UNSMIS (United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria) is suspending its activities," Mood said.
The observers "will not conduct patrols and will stay in their locations until further notice," he said, adding that "engagement with the parties will be restricted."
Mood said the suspension would be reviewed daily, and that "operations will resume when we see the situation fit for us to carry out our mandated activities."
Reacting to the news, a White House official said it was discussing the latest development with its allies.
"At this critical juncture, we are consulting with our international partners regarding next steps toward a Syrian-led political transition as called for in Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043," said the official.
Resolutions 2042 and 2043 addressed the observers' deployment to Syria under a UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...'s peace plan aimed at "facilitating a Syrian-led political transition" leading to democracy, among other conditions.
The opposition Syrian National Council, meanwhile, warned of a looming massacre in the flashpoint central city of Homs, which it said was besieged by 30,000 troops and pro-regime militiamen.
"Regime forces are escalating their shelling of the city of Homs in an unprecedented way," the SNC said, adding it had contacted members of the "Friends of Syria," asking them to "stop the massacre that is being prepared."
A top SNC member, Burhan Ghalioun, urged the UN to send "peacekeepers to Syria on a mission with more people who would be able to protect themselves from the violence of the regime."
The shelling and shooting targeted several Homs districts and killed at least five people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said more than 1,000 families were trapped in the city.
The watchdog issued an "urgent call" to UN Secretary General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
"and all those with a sense of humanity to intervene immediately, in order to put a stop to the continuous shelling."
It also called for the "evacuation and protection of dozens of injured."
"More than 100 people are injured, many of them badly, and the lack of medical equipment means some of them will die," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, adding there was also a lack of medical staff.
Home to several Free Syrian Army bastions, Homs has been under intermittent attack by regime forces ever since Baba Amr district was relentlessly pounded for a month earlier this year, according to the Observatory, and retaken by the regime.