UN to Send 300 Observers to Syria

Move comes as violence continues
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 21, 2012 10:53 AM CDT
UN to Send 300 Observers to Syria
This image made from amateur video and released by Shaam News Network Friday shows an explosion amid heavy shelling in the Khaldiyeh area of Homs, Syria.   (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)

The Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution expanding the number of UN observers in Syria from 30 to 300 and demanding an immediate halt to the violence that has been escalating since a cease-fire supposedly took effect over a week ago. The resolution approved today gives Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon authority to decide when to deploy the additional observers, based on developments on the grounds including "the consolidation of the cease-fire."

Ban accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Thursday of failing to honor the cease-fire, expressing dismay at the upsurge in violence. The resolution merges rival Russian and European texts and dropped a European threat of non-military sanctions if Syria fails to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from towns and cities. (More Syria stories.)

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