Brussels, 10/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 May, the spokesman for EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, Michael Mann, strongly condemned the attacks on Damascus on Thursday morning, and the attack against the United Nations observer mission convoy in Deraa on Wednesday. He said the number of incidents and attacks which are constantly in violation of the peace plan make the task of the monitoring mission difficult but ever more essential
Michael Mann told Agence Europe that the EU shares the position expressed by Special Envoy Kofi Annan who deplores the continuing violence and has underlined that his six-point plan will not last indefinitely.
Mann does not believe the peace plan is dead, adding: “We believe the plan is still valid, and that it is still the best solution for ensuring peace in Syria.” He went on to explain, like Kofi Annan, that the plan's success is in the hands of the Syrian authorities, and that these issues will be discussed during the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 14 May.
Kofi Annan condemned Thursday's attacks in the strongest possible terms, describing them as “unacceptable”. With his spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, he explained that anything that heightens tension and increases the level of violence can but be counter-productive for the interests of all parties.
General Robert Mood, who heads the UN observers in Syria, appealed for assistance in stopping the violence in Syria, saying: “We, the international community, we are here with the Syrian people and I call on everyone in Syria and outside of Syria to help put an end to the violence.”
France's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks and underlined that “once more, these tragic events demonstrate how urgent it is to fully implement the Security Council resolutions as well as Mr Kofi Annan's plan to put an end to the crisis by ensuring a peaceful and democratic political transition”.
A double attack devastated an area of Damascus on Thursday, killing 55 and injuring over 372. The day before, a convoy of UN observers was attacked, leaving six people injured. The regime in power and the opposition are accusing each other of being responsible for the attacks. (CG/transl.jl)