No Good Guys among Syrian Rebels – Paulo Sergio Pinheiro

MILITARISM, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, SYRIA IN CONTEXT, UNITED NATIONS, 24 Jun 2013

InSerbia – TRANSCEND Media Service

It is impossible to choose unequivocally good guys among the groups of Syrian rebels and send weapons to them. This warning was voiced by chairman of the UN independent panel investigating possible violations of human rights in Syria Paulo Sergio Pinheiro on Friday [21 June 2013].

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro

Last week the US announced its intention to grant military aid to Syrian rebels on the grounds that the conflict has reached a critical point. Washington states that it has information about the Syrian government troops using chemical agents against the rebels. In doing so, the US Administration reassures that weapons sent to Syria will not get into the hands of groups associated with al-Qaeda, such as Jabhat al-Nusra.

Pinheiro says that it is impossible to guarantee this. After a private meeting of the panel at the UN Security Council he told journalists that there is no clear-cut difference between good and bad guys among the Syrian opposition. He warned that sending weapons to those considered to be good guys would not contribute to the settlement of the conflict but would trigger more violence and military crimes.

Pinheiro disagreed with the opinion that the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a red line after crossing which the international community has to use radical measures, such as providing one side of the conflict with weapons.

He said that too many red lines have already been crossed in Syria. Using chemical weapons is a military crime but too many crimes against humanity and gross violations of human rights have already taken place. All this is enough for the Security Council to take measures to stop the violence, Pinheiro said.

Pinheiro stressed that crimes against humanity have become routine practice in Syria. He believes that this is the cost of the world community’s inability to use joint effort and put an end to this conflict.

Go to Original – inserbia.info

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