Reply #11: BBC: Syrian opposition urges Homs international protection [View All]

[pampango]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15624414

The Syrian National Council said government forces had been shelling residential areas for days. It says civilians are very short of food and medical supplies, and electricity and water have been cut.

Last week the Syrian government agreed to an Arab League deal to pull troops out of residential areas. However, the BBC's Jonathan Head, in neighbouring Turkey, says this has not happened.

The Syrian National Council statement urged the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation and the Arab League to act to stop what it called the "massacre" in Homs. It called on the international community to send "Arab and international observers, instantly, to the city of Homs to oversee the situation on the ground".

The opposition is calling for Homs to be declared a "humanitarian disaster area", so that civilians can be given international protection, including evacuation from areas that are being shelled. The statement also urges the UN and Arab League to call for an immediate ceasefire.

The Arab League is due to hold a meeting on Saturday to address the Syrian government's apparent failure to comply with a peace deal it accepted last week.