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Middle East and North Africa

Arab League requests UN to increase number of observers in Syria

Arabi denounced the massacre in the Syrian village of Houla in his message to the UN Security Council

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

CAIRO, June 2 (Itar-Tass) — The Arab League sent a request to the UN Security Council to increase the number of observers in Syria.

According to the letter of Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi, which was made available to the regional mass media on Friday, the organization also proposed expanding the powers of the Mission for protection of Syrian people.

Arabi denounced the massacre in the Syrian village of Houla in his message to the UN Security Council. “I call on you to respond quickly in order to stop violence in Syria and to take necessary measures to protect its citizens,” he noted.

According to the secretary-general, it is necessary “to increase the number of international observers”, mandating them powers, necessary for stopping violence.

The mandate of the UN observer mission permits non-armed observers only to make monitoring progress in implementing the plan of special representative of the UN and the Arab League Kofi Annan on settling the situation in the country and informing the United Nations on exposed violations.

The number of observers has reached around 300 men, that is the level provided for by resolution 2043 of the UN Security Council.

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