Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 sepTember 2018

UN says Syria's Idlib civilians should not be taken hostages

By BASSEM MROUE areas, which included the
JAMEY KEATEN use of chemical weapons,"
BEIRUT (AP) — U.N. investi- the report said.
gators warned Wednesday It said in the Idlib attack,
that a war against some government helicopters
10,000 extremists in north- dropped at least two bar-
western Syria should not rels carrying chlorine pay-
take 3 million people hos- loads in the Taleel area
tages. They added that the near the town of Saraqeb.
expected attack by Syrian The eastern Ghouta attack
troops on Idlib province occurred in Douma.
would make other battles "The Commission con-
in the country look minor. cludes that, on these two
The U.N. Commission of occasions, government
Inquiry said government forces and/or affiliated mi-
forces carried out three litias committed the war
chemical weapons attacks crimes of using prohibited
in Syria and that violence weapons and launching
displaced the largest num- indiscriminate attacks in
ber of people the year, the civilian populated areas in
largest since the conflict eastern Ghouta," it said.
began in 2011. It said the Douma attacks
It warned that an attack on In this Tuesday Sept. 11, 2018 photo, Muhammed Halife, 5, who says was injured during bombing, occurred on Jan. 22 and
Idlib "with little regard for ci- stands at his school in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughur, Syria, west of the city of Idlib. Feb. 1. The report added
vilian life would generate a Associated Press that "specifically, the mu-
catastrophic human rights nitions documented were
and humanitarian crisis." failed to bring about a set- families are located in the ists but something has to be built around industrially
It called on parties to the tlement. Iran and Russia are densely populated region, done to protect the rights produced Iranian artillery
conflict to protect civilians, main backers of the gov- which is now home to 2.9 of the 3 million people and rockets known to have
as required by international ernment while Turkey backs million people. Many of (including) 1 million chil- been supplied to forces
humanitarian law. the opposition. those have been displaced dren." "All the other disas- commanded by the Gov-
Government forces have "Idlib should not become from other parts of Syria in ters would be minor events ernment of the Syrian Arab
been massing troops on the next massacre, the fi- recent years. compared to what can Republic."
the edge of Idlib in prepa- nal massacre in the bat- Commission Chair Paulo happen in Idlib," he said. The U.S., Britain and France
ration for an offensive on tles in Syria and common Pinheiro said the presence The inquiry blamed the launched a missile attack
the last major rebel strong- sense now needs to pre- of 3 million civilians in the government for chlorine in April to punish President
hold in Syria. vail," Commissioner Hanny area is "something that has gas attacks during its of- Bashar Assad for another
Government bombard- Megally told reporters after to move the powers in- fensive on eastern suburbs chlorine attack that they
ment of Idlib has dropped the release of the report. volved in the decision." of the capital Damascus blamed the government.
as of Tuesday after days of The civilian population "You are fighting 10,000 known as eastern Ghouta The White House warned
stepped up bombing cam- "should not be held hos- armed people, terrorists, and on Idlib as well. Assad last week that if he
paign against the Syrian tage to a war on terror." and the 3 million popula- "To recapture eastern Gh- chooses to use chemical
opposition's last bastion in U.N. Special Envoy to Syria tion will be the price to outa in April, government weapons in the offensive
the country. Staffan de Mistura said last fight," said Pinheiro. "Of forces launched numerous against Idlib, the U.S. and
A summit between Russia, month that 10,000 al-Qai- course we don't have any- indiscriminate attacks in its allies "will respond swiftly
Turkey, and Iran on Friday da-linked fighters and their thing against fighting terror- densely populated civilian and appropriately."q

Cambodian prime minister says 'let us fix our own problems'

saying Wednesday that might accuse them know ed to serve two more terms.
the countries should be al- about Myanmar and do Speaking vehemently at
lowed to solve their own they know how to solve the the end of a day of semi-
problems. situation up there?" he said, nars and speeches fo-
Speaking at a World Eco- as he sat on the stage with cused on economic and
nomic Forum gathering Myanmar's leader, Nobel development issues, he
in Hanoi, Hun Sen heat- Peace Prize laureate Aung said Vietnam and Laos,
edly defended Myanmar San Suu Kyi, and leaders with their communist, one-
against accusations its from Vietnam, Laos and party governments, and
security forces have en- Thailand. Thailand's military-led gov-
gaged in genocide against Cambodia's one-party leg- ernment should be allowed
Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia gestures as he talks about its Rohingya minority. islature confirmed Hun Sen to be "peaceful politically."
his vision for the Mekong region in the World Economic Forum
on ASEAN at the National Convention Center Wednesday, Sept. Hun Sen said other coun- for another five-year term Governments in Europe
12, 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. tries do not understand the last week, cementing his and elsewhere should not
Associated Press problems that Myanmar status as one of the world's try to impose conditions on
and its neighbors face. longest-serving leaders. them, he said. "The coun-
By ELAINE KURTENBACH Cambodian Prime Minister "The situation in Myanmar is The 66-year-old Hun Sen tries that do not know our
MINH VAN TRAN Hun Sen slammed criticism more serious because it has has been in power for 33 countries, please leave us
Associated Press by outsiders of political is- been accused of geno- years and declared before to solve our problems for
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — sues in the Mekong region, cide, but do those who the election that he intend- ourselves," he said.q