Timothy Bancroft Hinchey: UN Confirms Foreign Militants in Syria

Crimes performed by foreign militants, such as kidnappings, torture and mistreatment of captured government soldiers also were repudiated by the UN High Commissioner: A team of UN experts confirmed on Monday the existence of aliens within the armed opposition groups in Syria, who commit war crimes. There are reasonable grounds to believe that anti-government forces in that country perpetrate killings, extrajudicial executions and torture, said Paulo Pinheiro, head of an independent international panel investigating the situation in Syria. In an interactive dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the expert also denounced the use of children under 18 years of age by armed opposition groups. These forces do not identify its members with real uniforms or insignia to distinguish them from civilians, he added. Crimes performed by these elements such as kidnappings, torture and mistreatment of captured government soldiers also were repudiated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. Pinheiro also criticized the government for carrying out indiscriminate attacks such as air strikes and artillery shelling of residential areas, like air raids and bombings of artillery to residential areas. He also spoke out against the imposition of sanctions against Syria, by constituting a denial of fundamental rights to the people of that country, where, according to the UN, there are 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid. The expert reiterated the need for a political solution in Syria and stressed that there is no possibility of a military solution. He has called on the international community to support the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN and the Arab League to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, to end violence and start a dialogue for a lasting solution to the crisis. "The conflict could spread to other countries in the region and threaten regional stability and security," he said.