The situation in Syria “remains extremely serious” and UN efforts to end the political crisis in the country have seen only “small progress”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said in a report to the Security Council.
“There is a continuing crisis on the ground, characterised by regular violence, deteriorating humanitarian conditions, human rights violations and continued political confrontation,” said the report, obtained by Al Arabiya, ahead of a Security Council meet on Syria next week.
According to reports from Syrian activists, more than 12,600 people have been killed in the country since a revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad started in March last year. The UN says up to 10,000 have been killed.
Although the scale of violence has decreased compared to the period before April 12, when UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan was implemented in the country, “the Syrian army has not ceased the use of, or pulled back, their heavy weapons in many areas”, Ban said.
At the same time, “significant parts of some cities appear to be under the de facto control of opposition elements”, he said.
The UN chief called again on states not to arm either side in the conflict.
The UN Security Council will discuss Ban’s report and hear a briefing about the situation in Syria from Kofi Annan Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Over 70 people were killed in several bombings in Syria Friday, local media and the opposition said, which the United Nations (UN) believed may have been instigated by “terrorist groups.”
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said seven people were found killed in the central Hama province, and two children were killed and several other injured in northern Aleppo province Friday in a drive-by shooting of armed groups.
Also in Hama, seven people were killed on Friday when armed groups attacked a mourning tent there, according to pro-government media.
On the opposition side, the Local Coordination Committees said some 51 people were killed at the central al-Houleh town near Homs by the gunfire of government troops. They also said that three people were killed in the northern city of Aleppo and one person was killed in southern Daraa province.
The sophistication and size of the recent bomb attacks in Syria suggest that “established terrorist groups” may have been behind them, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday in his letter to the president of the UN Security Council.
“The (Syrian) Government asserts that such groups are active in the country, as do some opposition groups. The al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for at least six of the recent bombings,” Ban said.
The recent bombings included the May 10 twin bombings in Damascus, when two vehicle-borne Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs) estimated to weigh over 1,000 kg each were detonated in proximity to government security installations
“The overall situation in Syria remains extremely serious and there has been only small progress on some issues,” Ban said, referring to the implementation of the six-point peace plan proposed by UN and Arab League joint envoy for Syria Kofi Annan.
Annan is scheduled to visit Syria soon to discuss the lack of significant progress in implementing his peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from population centers, a daily halt in fighting for the delivery of humanitarian aid and treatment of the wounded, as well as talks between the government and opposition.
Ahead of Annan’s return, security forces deployed tanks in Syria’s second largest city Aleppo on Friday, where thousands of people attended a funeral, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
This is the first time that army tanks were deployed by government troops since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began 14 months ago.
Tanks rumbled through the Kalasse and Bustan al-Kasr neighborhoods of Aleppo, according to the observatory.
Meanwhile, the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) has stated that “significant parts of some cities appear to be under the control of opposition elements,” Ban said Friday.
Currently, 271 of the 300 unarmed UN military observers authorized by the Security Council are on the ground to help end the 14-month conflict in Syria.