LOC15:51
12:51 GMT
PARIS, March 1 (KUNA) -- The French government said on Thursday it was
"revolted" by the Syrian army attacks on Homs and also "shocked" by the
refusal to allow a UN Human Rights official access to that city and other
areas.
"We are revolted by the martyrdom suffered by the population of Homs for
more than three weeks," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a
briefing.
"Everything indicates that the Syrian forces commanded by Maher Al-Assad
are committed to the destruction and systematic massacre of the Baba Amr
district of Homs," he added.
"More than ever, the international community must support the efforts of
the Arab League to put an end to these massacres," the French official urged.
Separately, he denounced the Syrian refusal to allow UN Human Rights
official Valerie Amos to enter Syria on Wednesday.
Amos had intended examining ways to provide humanitarian assistance to
embattled areas and ways to evacuate wounded and civilians.
Valero said the refusal to grant her a visa was "deeply shocking" and was
"a new, clear sign that of the refusal of Damascus to cooperate with the
United Nations and facilitate access to its territory."
At the same time, Valero welcomed the announcement that Special Envoy Kofi
Annan, who was appointed by the UN and the Arab League, plans to travel to
Damascus to meet with Syrian authorities.
Annan is to deliver a "clear message" to the Syrian leadership, telling
them that violence must stop and humanitarian access must be given to the
civilian population.
"A political solution to the ongoing crisis must be rapidly found. The
government in Damascus must hear this message," Valero stated.
He called on the entire international community to facilitate the action of
Annan, whom he said faces "an arduous" task.
Also, France welcomed a UN Human Rights Council resolution, voted
Wednesday, which "forcefully condemned the crime against humanity constituted
by the repressive policy carried out by the regime in Damascus against its
people."
Paris called for an "immediate" halt to violence and the provision of
humanitarian aid to affected areas.
"The Human Rights Council clearly noted that the crimes of the Damascus
regime will not remain unpunished," the French official said.
In other developments, Paris said that it had no information on French
journalist Edith Bouvier, who was wounded by Syrian shelling and is trapped in
Homs. (end)
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