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Syria Qubair massacre: Village empty, houses gutted | |
(31 minutes later) | |
UN monitors have reached the village of Qubair in western Syria where a massacre took place on Wednesday, says a BBC reporter travelling with them. | UN monitors have reached the village of Qubair in western Syria where a massacre took place on Wednesday, says a BBC reporter travelling with them. |
Our correspondent, who has just arrived with the main convoy, has seen gutted buildings but no signs of people in the tiny village. | |
Condemning the massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war. | |
Between nine and 78 people are said to have been killed in Wednesday's attack. | Between nine and 78 people are said to have been killed in Wednesday's attack. |
The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians. | The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians. |
Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage. | Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage. |
The BBC's Paul Danahar has seen the carcass of a donkey outside one burnt-out building. The UN have not found any people yet, he says. | |
Lebanese scenario? | |
Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades. | Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades. |
The militiamen accused of the killings are known as shabiha, and are from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad. | |
We are here. In front of a burnt-out building is the carcass of a donkey. Inside, the buildings are gutted. The UN have not found any people yet. | |
There are a handful of small, squat buildings. One seems to have a hole blown out by an RPG. | |
The villlage is just a few single-storey flat-roofed buildings set in the middle of golden corn fields. | |
The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population. | |
Mr Ban warned late on Thursday that the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". | Mr Ban warned late on Thursday that the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". |
He told a joint news conference with peace envoy Kofi Annan and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi that reports from Qubair underscored "the horrifying reality on the ground". | |
"How many more times have we to condemn them, and how many ways must we say that we are outraged?" he asked. "The Syrian people are bleeding." | |
And while reiterating that Mr Annan's six-point peace plan remained "at the centre of our focus", he said urgent talks were needed to discuss how to proceed further. | And while reiterating that Mr Annan's six-point peace plan remained "at the centre of our focus", he said urgent talks were needed to discuss how to proceed further. |
The US is demanding decisive action, and Mr Annan is pushing for a contact group of key nations to raise pressure for an end to the violence. | |
But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative. | But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative. |
"We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said. | "We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said. |
China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria. | China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria. |
Russia is a long-standing ally of the Damascus government, while China has repeatedly stated its opposition to foreign intervention in internal conflicts. | |
Meanwhile, violence is continuing across Syria. | Meanwhile, violence is continuing across Syria. |
On Friday, activists said government forces had resumed shelling the city of Homs, where they were engaged in a battle to try to retake districts controlled by rebels. | On Friday, activists said government forces had resumed shelling the city of Homs, where they were engaged in a battle to try to retake districts controlled by rebels. |
About 200 people are said to have died on Wednesday and Thursday this week. | |
The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups". | The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups". |
The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's six-point plan. It includes a ceasefire, which was supposed to have taken effect in mid-April. | The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's six-point plan. It includes a ceasefire, which was supposed to have taken effect in mid-April. |