Syria rejects UN rights resolution as 'unjust'

Syria on Saturday condemned a UN vote on rights violations by the country's security forces as "unjust," and said it was based on false information from the regime's foes. The UN Human Rights Council resolution passed in a vote on Friday was "unjust and "prepared in advance by parties hostile to Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA. The vote followed a report by a commission of inquiry that was "politically motivated and based on false information circulated by parties outside Syria and dishonest press organs," the ministry said. At an emergency meeting, the council passed a resolution "strongly condemning the continued widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities." For Damascus, the council's "decisions aim to prolong the crisis and convey a message of support" to the regime's armed opponents. The meeting in Geneva was called to address the findings of the Commission of Inquiry which said security forces had committed crimes against humanity, including the killing of 307 children, in a crackdown on dissent since March. The draft measures are likely to be adopted by the cabinet on Monday and should go to parliament for approval before Christmas. They include an increase in housing tax, a small tax on large capital and a raise in value-added tax (VAT) in a package worth 20 billion euros ($26.8 billion), according to reports in Italian newspapers. On Sunday, Monti will meet representatives of the unions and the main employers' associations, some of which have reacted angrily to the proposals -- particularly plans to reform pensions. Berlusconi met great opposition from unions when trying to pass reforms. Susanna Camusso, head of the CGIL, Italy's largest union, said Saturday that the union was "ready to support the right decisions, but also determined to counter those we consider to be wrong." The vote on sanctions came after Damascus defied an ultimatum to accept observers under an Arab League peace plan and put an end to the eight-month crackdown.