UNITED NATIONS, June 6 (KUNA) -- General Assembly President Nassir A. Al-Nasser of Qatar on Wednesday said it is possible for any Member State to request suspension of Syria's membership from the UN body if all UN efforts fail to compel Damascus to stem the violence against peaceful demonstrations.
He told KUNA "any member state can make the request. Member States will have to examine it," and put it to a vote, adding that he cannot do it as Assembly President.
He told a press conference earlier that the Assembly "remains deeply concerned about the situation in Syria. The situation on the ground is very disappointing and, frankly, appalling." He said the world followed the recent "horrifying developments, especially the massacre of more than a hundred people - including women and children - in the village Al-Houlah. Those responsible must be made to face justice." He said that "out of deep concern," the Assembly invited the Secretaries-General of the UN and the Arab League and their Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan for Syria and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to brief the World body in open session tomorrow Thursday. "The people of Syria and the region deserve a united voice and urgent action from the General Assembly and the UN for the restoration of peace, unity and order in Syria," he stressed.
On another subject, he said he is hosting later today an "important and special cultural event" in the Assembly Hall to support 'UN Women' to draw attention to the problem of violence against women and girls. He estimated that six out of ten women worldwide have suffered from physical or sexual violence. "This is unacceptable!" He said that after he approached Member States for help to fund 'UN Women,' the UN youngest agency promoting women's rights, "a number of Governments have started contributing hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women." He also said that the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will perform later today to celebrate the Sixty-Sixth Session of the General Assembly, which "I have the honour to preside over." The Orchestra "promotes both Arabic and Western music, and has become one of the most outstanding orchestras in the world," he said.
He noted Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address the event which will also bring together dignitaries, celebrities, philanthropists and other guests. He noted that the Assembly "remains the world's most representative, most legitimate and truly universal body," and "with the direct engagement of Member States, it (Assembly) has been able to respond promptly to many important and serious situations across the world during this session" which started last September.
"The people of the world are looking to the General Assembly and to the United Nations as a whole, for support, assistance and as a moral compass in these troubled times," he added. On Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development scheduled for June 20-22 in Brazil, Al-Nasser said it is "very important" that Member States focus during the negotiations prior to the Conference on the "big picture and not just individual national interests or individual group interests." "Rio+20 is about setting the world on the right course for sustainable growth for future generations. The real work will begin after the conference is over, when we will need concrete action on various key areas of concern. If Rio+20 fails, we all lose." "I believe that with genuine political will and a sense of global solidarity, we can achieve a great deal at Rio," he concluded. (end) sj.mt KUNA 062228 Jun 12NNNN