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United Nations officials today (16 July) issued renewed calls for a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, painting a bleak picture of the humanitarian situation in the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation. UNTV
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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 2.43
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 16 JULY 2013, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

16 JULY 2013, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

2. Zoom in, Security Council
3. Med shot, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We are facing a pattern replicated across Syria. Entire neighbourhoods and their inhabitants put at risk with Government and opposition military positions being established in residential areas. Indiscriminate attacks are repeatedly launched on towns and villages. Parties to the conflict systematically and in many cases deliberately fail in their obligation to protect civilians. Reports indicate open and blatant violations of the rules of war with total disregard for human life and dignity, in a climate of generalised impunity. The parties must be reminded that they will be held accountable for their actions.”
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
“The danger that the Syria conflict could ignite the whole region is not an empty warning. Measures must be taken now to mitigate the enormous risk of spill over and to support the stability of Syria’s neighbours so as to keep the situation from escalating into a political, security, and humanitarian crisis that would move far beyond the international capacity to respond. The impact of the refugee crisis on the neighbouring countries is crushing and the recent restrictions on access sound an alarm bell which must not be ignored. It is time to recognise that we cannot go on treating the impact of the Syrian crisis as a simple humanitarian emergency.”
7. Wide shot, Security Council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights:
“Throughout continuing efforts to bring peace, we should seek to uphold justice and accountability. War crimes, crimes against humanity, and gross human rights violations must not go unpunished. To this end, the Human Rights Office once again urges the Security Council to refer the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court.”
9. Pan right, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari, Permanent Representative of the Syrian Republic to the United Nations:
“This terrorism will come to the doorsteps of those who sponsor terrorism. This has already been the case for some states. If Member States of the United Nations do not recognise the dangers of this type of terrorism, then there will not be peace for anyone and the day will come when the Governments of some Member States will regret their actions against the Syrian people.”
11. Wide shot, Security Council

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Storyline

United Nations top officials today (16 July) issued renewed calls for a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, painting a bleak picture of the humanitarian situation in the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation.

With some 5,000 people being killed every month, all the officials expressed extreme concern about the deepening violence, grave human rights violations, worsening humanitarian situation and particularly, the massive refugee crisis spawned by the spiraling conflict in Syria.

Addressing a Security Council meeting on Syria via teleconference from Geneva, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, said “entire neighbourhoods and their inhabitants” are being put at risk as Government and opposition military positions are being established in residential areas.

Amos said “indiscriminate attacks are repeatedly launched on towns and villages” and parties to the conflict are “systematically and in many cases deliberately” failing to protect civilians.

She reported “open and blatant violations of the rules of war with total disregard for human life and dignity, in a climate of generalised impunity.”

The High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, also speaking from Geneva, told the Council that “the danger that the Syria conflict could ignite the whole region is not an empty warning.”

Guterres said “measures must be taken now to mitigate the enormous risk of spill over and to support the stability of Syria’s neighbours so as to keep the situation from escalating into a political, security, and humanitarian crisis that would move far beyond the international capacity to respond.”

He also warned about the regional impact of the Syrian refugee crisis as well as the recent restrictions on access imposed by neighbouring countries.

Delivering a statement from the High Commissioner fro Human Rights, Navi Pillay, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović said “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and gross human rights violations must not go unpunished.”

Šimonović urged the Security Council to refer the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court.

Also addressing the Council, Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari of Syria placed the blame for the crisis on foreign terrorist organisations. Ja'afari said that “if Member States of the United Nations do not recognise the dangers of this type of terrorism, then there will not be peace for anyone and the day will come when the Governments of some Member States will regret their actions against the Syrian people.”

Civilians inside Syria have been under siege for over two years as the Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad continue to do battle. As many as 100,000 people have been killed, almost 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries and a further 4 million have been internally displaced since the conflict began in March 2011.

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