Syria’s Assad says military crackdown stopped
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad tells the United Nations that military and police operations against protesters have ended.
The brutal crackdown of Assad‘s regime against pro-democracy protesters in Syria has drawn international condemnation, but until now the President has remained defiant.
Last week Assad pledged to battle the protesters, calling them “terrorists” and since then there have been reports of Syrian forces raiding houses in the port city of Latakia, arresting hundreds and taking them to a stadium after a four-day tank assault.
Over the weekend the Al Ramel area was also attacked by Syrian forces aiming to crush the uprising.
However United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said President Assad told him the crackdown was over yesterday, in a phone call after Ban again criticised the violence.
Read more from Channel 4 News: Denial in Damascus as Syria revolts
The UN said in a statement that Ban had: “expressed alarm at the latest reports of continued widespread violations of human rights and excessive use of force by Syrian security forces against civilians across Syria, including in the Al Ramel district of Latakia, home to several thousands of Palestinian refugees.
“The Secretary-General emphasized that all military operations and mass arrests must cease immediately. President Assad said that the military and police operations had stopped.”
The UN statement said Ban also repeated his calls for an independent investigation into all reported killings and acts of violence, for reforms, and for free access by the media and a UN humanitarian assessment team.
