Envoy blames UN Security Council for fueling crisis in Syria

The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations has blamed some members of the UN Security Council for fanning the flames in Syria. “Let’s be realistic, some ambassadors in the council are not acting responsibly towards their task of maintaining peace and security,” Bashar Ja'afari told the Security Council on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. “Whatever the claims of this ambassador or that, as a member of the Security Council, when he addresses the journalists at the stakeout, he should not use the term ‘Syrian regime.’ He should say the Syrian government if he wants to act responsibly,” he protested. “So they are violating themselves the rules and procedures of how to fulfill their noble task in the Security Council,” the envoy added. Ja’afari was referring to comments made by US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, who had suggested the possibility of military intervention in Syria if the peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan failed. “But those who are seeking escalation, talking about option two and option three and option four… by doing so they are violating Kofi Annan’s plan,” he said. The Syrian ambassador also addressed the recent massacre in the country, saying that the atrocities took place in three villages, including Houla, which are home to three different religious sects. At least 100 Syrian civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in a brutal mass killing in the western village of Houla on May 25. The UN Security Council condemned the violence during an emergency meeting on Sunday, saying the clashes “involved a series of government artillery and tank shelling on a residential neighborhood.” However, Ja’afari slammed the “tsunami of lies” by some members of the Security Council and said Syrian forces were not to blame for the violence. Damascus has vehemently denied involvement in the Houla incident, holding armed groups responsible for the massacre of civilians.