UN peace monitors arrive in Syria
- 12 years ago
(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)
An advance team of U.N. ceasefire monitors started work in Syria on Monday (April 16), seeking to ensure that both government forces and the opposition respect the terms of a truce.
A team of six observers arrived in Damascus late on Sunday (April 15) night, led by Moroccan Colonel Ahmed Himmiche.
"We are going to organise ourselves in order to be ready to do our tasks as soon as possible," said Himmiche from his Damascus hotel, add that like all peacekeepers, he was optimistic about the work ahead.
The United Nations Security Council agreed on Saturday (April 14) to send the unarmed monitors to supervise the ceasefire that officially began last Thursday (April 12) but has been marked by reports of violence and shelling in the flashpoint city of Homs.
d
On Sunday, international mediator Kofi Annan's spokesman said he expected the Security Council to adopt a second resolution by the end of the week to authorise the deployment of a full observer mission of at least 250 monitors, including human rights experts.
An advance team of U.N. ceasefire monitors started work in Syria on Monday (April 16), seeking to ensure that both government forces and the opposition respect the terms of a truce.
A team of six observers arrived in Damascus late on Sunday (April 15) night, led by Moroccan Colonel Ahmed Himmiche.
"We are going to organise ourselves in order to be ready to do our tasks as soon as possible," said Himmiche from his Damascus hotel, add that like all peacekeepers, he was optimistic about the work ahead.
The United Nations Security Council agreed on Saturday (April 14) to send the unarmed monitors to supervise the ceasefire that officially began last Thursday (April 12) but has been marked by reports of violence and shelling in the flashpoint city of Homs.
d
On Sunday, international mediator Kofi Annan's spokesman said he expected the Security Council to adopt a second resolution by the end of the week to authorise the deployment of a full observer mission of at least 250 monitors, including human rights experts.