The people of Homs, in the Centre of Syria, begin to bury their dead, whose figure is 237. AFP

• Blow to the Security Council of the UN

Both powers deny supporting the transition of the Arab League plan; world leaders urge release of Al Assad

NEW YORK, USA (FEB/05/2012)-hours that the opposition in Syria report of the death of more than 230 civilians as a result of bombing in the city of Homs, Russia and China vetoed at the UN Security Council a new draft resolution condemning the bloody repression in that country.

The National Council SIRIUS (CNS), the main opposition organization in the country, called the Russian and Chinese veto as “permission to the regime in Damascus to assassinate”.

A leader of the CNS, Ahmad Ramadan, said the decision by both powers is “an attempt to stop any political process to provide a solution to the crisis in Syria and leaves the door open to the language of death”.

Thirteen of the 15 countries of the UN Security Council voted in New York for a project that gave strong support to the plan of the Arab League to ensure a transition to democracy in Syria and denounced “continuing violations” of human rights committed by the regime of President Bashar Assad.

However, Russia and China (which occupy two of the five permanent seats with a veto of the highest body of the United Nations) returned to block a condemnation against the Government of Assad, as they had done on October 5.

Before the vote the Chancellor Sergei Lavrov indicated that put the draft resolution to the vote would lead to a “scandal”.

Moscow announced that Lavrov would travel Tuesday to Damascus to meet with Assad in order to “find a political solution to the conflict”.

The American President, Barack Obama, accused the Syrian regime of murdering civilians and asked to Assad to give “a step to the side and allow to immediately begin a democratic transition”.

In addition to the United State, this new massacre was condemned by Britain, Spain, France and the head of European diplomacy, Catherine Ashton.  

On their side, Syrian Information Minister Adnan Mahmud asserted that it was the opposition which bombarded Homs to try to influence the vote in the UN Security Council.

“The information (…)” about the bombing by the Syrian army of neighborhoods in Homs are false and without foundation. “They are produced against a background of a war of hysterical information (…) in anticipation of the meeting of the UN Security Council”.

However, two witnesses to what happened, identified as Abul Ward Al Masri and Abu Bilal al-Homsi, explained that the city of Homs has been the scene of a catastrophe in every sense of the word”" and that he rescues still manually people under the rubble.

According to al-Homsi, Government forces used heavy weapons such as mortar rounds, which came from three locations: the headquarters of intelligence in Homs; the Karam Chemchem neighborhood, inhabited by a majority Alaouite; and a military checkpoint set up on the outskirts of the city.

THEY REPUDIATE THE MASSACRE

They protest at Syrian embassies   

London, England-groups of demonstrators protested in Europe, the Middle East and the US capital in the last hours to condemn the military repression in Syria.

In London, five persons were arrested accused of public disorder for trying to enter the Embassy of Syria in United Kingdom, where about 150 people protested against the killing in Homs.  

In Athens, police arrested 13 people who were protesting at the Syria Embassy, as they broke Windows and painted on the walls with slogans against the regime in Damascus.  

In Germany about 20 people stormed the Embassy of Syria in Berlin, while in Spain, at least 15 people expressed their solidarity with the Syrian people outside the diplomatic headquarters in Madrid.  

Egypt, Kuwait and Washington there were also signs of rejection of the repression of the regime of Assad.   

NTX

BOTTOM CURTAIN

They fail to reach an agreement

After eleven months of violence in Syria that, according to the UN killed more than five thousand 400 people, the international community fails to agree to stop repression in that country.

The attack in Homs, where in addition to the 237 dead another thousand 300 people were injured, it is considered the deadliest since 11 months ago it launched the popular in Syria rebellion to demand the departure of President Assad and the establishment of a democratic regime, among other demands.