United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday to halt violence against a 10-month anti-government uprising.
“Today, I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end,” Ban told a conference in Lebanon on political reform.
Ban added that the “old order” of dynasties and one-man rule in the Arab world was coming to an end.
The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria’s crackdown on protests which erupted against Assad in March, inspired by other uprisings that toppled three Arab leaders last year.
“Today, I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end,” Ban told a conference in Lebanon on political reform.
Ban added that the “old order” of dynasties and one-man rule in the Arab world was coming to an end.
The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed in Syria’s crackdown on protests which erupted against Assad in March, inspired by other uprisings that toppled three Arab leaders last year.
Syria, meanwhile, says 2,000 members of the government forces have been killed by “armed terrorists.”
“From the very beginning of the ... revolutions, from Tunisia through Egypt and beyond, I called on leaders to listen to their people,” Ban said. “Some did, and benefited. Others did not, and today they are reaping the whirlwind.”
On reform in the region, Ban said the United Nations was supporting change in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.
“We are firmly committed to help Arab countries through this transition, by every means,” he said.
Also on Sunday, Assad granted a general amnesty for crimes committed since the outbreak of protest last year against his rule, the state news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
It said the amnesty would cover “crimes committed in the context of the events that occurred from March 15, 2011, until January 15, 2012,” AFP news agency reported. It gave no further details.
“From the very beginning of the ... revolutions, from Tunisia through Egypt and beyond, I called on leaders to listen to their people,” Ban said. “Some did, and benefited. Others did not, and today they are reaping the whirlwind.”
On reform in the region, Ban said the United Nations was supporting change in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.
“We are firmly committed to help Arab countries through this transition, by every means,” he said.
Also on Sunday, Assad granted a general amnesty for crimes committed since the outbreak of protest last year against his rule, the state news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
It said the amnesty would cover “crimes committed in the context of the events that occurred from March 15, 2011, until January 15, 2012,” AFP news agency reported. It gave no further details.
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