Syria denied its armed forces carried out a massacre in Treimsa but said 37 gunmen and two civilians were killed in clashes with rebels, as a UN team entered the village on Sunday to probe the assault.
Rights activists say more than 150 people were killed in Treimsa, which if confirmed would make it one of the bloodiest episodes of Syria’s 16-month uprising. Even so, it has already galvanised diplomatic efforts.
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan was due to travel to Damascus ally Moscow on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin, amid growing pressure on Russia to finally back the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Fifteen people were killed on Sunday, among them a family of four including a girl whose body was pulled from rubble covered in blood and dust after their house was shelled in the central town of Rastan, according to activists.
Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Syrian government forces did not use helicopters and tanks in Thursday’s assault on Treimsa.
“What happened was not an attack by the army on innocent civilians,” said Makdissi. “The aim of this news conference is to tell people that what happened was not a massacre… It was a clash between regular forces and armed groups who do not believe in a peaceful solution. This is the reality, politically and militarily.”
Makdissi staunchly denied reports suggesting the army had used aircraft in the assault. “This is absolutely not true. Only troop carriers and lights weapons were used, the most powerful of weapons being RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades),” he said.
He admitted that “the situation is difficult on the ground” but insisted that Syria is “in a state of defence not in a state of attack.”
UN observers entered Treimsa to continue their investigations, after they saw blood and evidence of the use of heavy weapons as well as burned out homes during a trip to the village on Saturday. They did not give a casualty toll.
“On the basis of this preliminary mission, UNSMIS can confirm that an attack, using a variety of weapons, took place in Treimsa on July 12,” said Sausan Ghosheh, spokeswoman for the UN Supervision Mission in Syria.
“The attack on Treimsa appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists. There were pools of blood and blood spatters in rooms of several homes together with bullet cases,” she said.
“The UN team also observed a burned school and damaged houses with signs of internal burning in five of them,” Ghosheh said, adding that a “wide range of weapons were used, including artillery, mortars and small arms.”
Russia and China have their own interests alright: Preserving the status quo at home.
If they allow regime change in Syria, they also invite regime change on their doorstep. Why would they do that?
Better yet, why are the rest of us expecting them to do so?
Forget about it.
Russia and China will not lift a finger in Syria. And we are not going to wait for them anymore.
Instead, we will put together our own coalition and take care of necessary business — just like we had done in Libya.
This time around, Russia and China had their chance to be part of the solution. They have sat it out — less they also rattle their own house of cards.
Fine.
But their inaction has also committed them to getting out of the way. They can do so and still save face.
Either way, we should move forward.
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