'Stop this hell on earth' in Eastern Ghouta, UN chief says
(dpa
Geneva - The UN-backed ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta must be implemented immediately to evacuate patients and to get aid into the besieged rebel-held area near Damascus, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in Geneva.
"It is high time to stop this hell on earth," Guterres said, following the UN Security Council's decision on Saturday to support a 30-day humanitarian ceasefire in Syria.
Combatting terrorism is no legitimate excuse for failure to protect civilians, Guterres warned at the opening of a UN Human Rights Council session.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that "we have every reason to remain cautious" about the UN-backed truce, "as airstrikes on Eastern Ghouta continue this morning."
Combatting terrorism is no legitimate excuse for failure to protect civilians, Guterres warned at the opening of a UN Human Rights Council session.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that "we have every reason to remain cautious" about the UN-backed truce, "as airstrikes on Eastern Ghouta continue this morning."