| Date: 27/05/2012 Time: 11:42:00 PM |
British foreign secretary William Hague Sunday
warned against the deterioration of security situation in Syria, emphasizing
that the troubled Arab country might be dragged into a civil war if the
international community failed to stop crimes committed by the Damascus regime
against the Syrian people.
Hague was speaking to reporters before flying to Moscow for talks with his
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on alternative measures if international
efforts failed to convince the Syrian regime to respect a fragile ceasefire
and stop bloodshed.
Hague hoped Russia would change its mind and exercise pressure on the
Syrian regime to respect its international obligations.
It is not in the interest of Russia nor the world body that security
deteriorates in Syria towards an all-out civil war, said Hague.
The British government cannot bear the killing of unarmed children and
women which has been taking place on a daily basis.
It is high time the international community agree on decisive resolutions
to protect the Syrian civilians and make Damascus fully implement UN-Arab
League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan.
Britain, said the British top diplomat, has been in contacts with its
partners in the UN Security Council (UNSC) and the European Union (EU) to hold
an urgent UNSC meeting coupled with toughening of EU's sanctions on the Assad
regime.
Hague said he spoke earlier in the day with Annan over dire need to
increase the number of observers on the ground as soon as possible.
He said members of the international community were not in agreement over
the military intervention in Syria.
However, he continued to say, Britain would be running out of patience if
the Syrian regime kept ignoring UN resolutions. There will be a time when
Britain will be forced to consider strong measures against the Assad regime
and increasing support to the opposition, warned Hague. |