UN mission blocked from Syrian protest city



UNITED NATIONS- Syrian authorities stopped a UN humanitarian team from visiting the protest city of Daraa where hundreds are said to have been killed in a government crackdown, UN officials said Monday.
"We were expecting to go in with a mission to Daraa yesterday. That was postponed by the government and I am seeking some more information about why," UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters.



UN mission blocked from Syrian protest city
"We have also been assured that they can go in later this week, which I very much hope will be possible," Amos added.
"We are trying to clarify why it hasn't had access. We are also trying to get access to other areas of Syria," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said earlier.
The United Nations announced last Thursday that Syria had agreed to let a UN team into Daraa, after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed directly to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
Ban also urged Assad to cooperate with a UN Human Rights Council inquiry into the clampdown on protests.
According to human rights groups, more than 600 people have been killed and 8,000 have been jailed or gone missing across Syria in the eight-week-old anti-regime campaign.
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Tuesday, May 10th 2011
AFP
           


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