CAIRO: France has condemned the United Nations for not doing enough over the continued violence in Syria. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also accused the Syrian government of committing “crimes against humanity.” He also called on the UN Security Council to take a stronger stance toward the ongoing violence in the country, which has seen at least 2,700 protesters killed since demonstrations broke out on March 15. “Crimes against humanity are committed in Syria. The silence of the Security Council is unacceptable,” Juppe told the Council on Foreign Relations, ahead of a week of UN summits. A delegation of Russian lawmakers is in Syria in a bid to broker an end to the violence. The Russian government has refused to denounce the violence in the country, saying that President Bashar al-Assad needs more time to implement reforms. Activists claim that the more time given to the government, the more people will be killed. Assad told the Russian delegation that on Sunday he welcomes the “balanced and constructive Russian position toward the security and stability of Syria,” the state-run SANA news agency reported. Assad, who has also blamed “armed terrorist gangs” for the violence rocking his country, also warned against “any foreign intervention that threatens to divide states in the region.” BM
