A massacre in Syria…
100 bodies at least…
32 of them, children under 10…
many with their throats slit…
all confirmed by UN monitors in Houla, where the massacre occurred.
Has the world finally woken up and seen the slaughter for what it is…
crimes against humanity that rank right up there with Bosnia.
UN Secretary General Ban-ki-moon and the UN special representative Kofi Annan condemned the act as “…revolting and terrible crimes …flagrant violations of international law and of the Syrian government's international engagements…which must be judged.”
The UN has, however, stopped short of saying clearly that al-Assad forces carried out the massacre, but on site, the head of the UN monitors has said that Houla was bombed from Friday evening till dawn on Saturday and that some of the bombs were lobbed from Syrian regime tanks on the streets of Houla.
The Free Syrian Army has called urgently for an international force to start aerial bombings of al-Assad military targets and said that it could no longer uphold its commitments under the Kofi Annan ceasefire.
In condemning the massacre, Paris, London and Berlin did not say that they would support such a move. The new French Foreign Minister has called for a meeting of the Friends of Syria as soon as possible in Paris to review the situation.
British Foreign Minister William Hague has said he will call for a UN Security Council meeting in the immediate future to discuss how to proceed.
The Gulf Cooperation Council has condemned the massacre and asked the international community to assume its responsibility and halt the bloodshed.
The United Arab Emirates have asked the Arab League to meet next week.
Will this be enough -- or will it be just another round of meetings and hand wringing with no further action to follow.
How long, Oh Lord, how long?
A travesty is all I can say...
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