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UN observers in Syria to try again to reach alleged massacre site

Arab World Materials 8 June 2012 12:57 (UTC +04:00)
UN observers in Syria to try again to reach alleged massacre site
UN observers in Syria to try again to reach alleged massacre site

United Nations observers are to make a fresh attempt on Friday to reach the village in Syria where the opposition said a massacre had taken place, a UN spokesman said dpa reported

A convoy of observers came under fire on Thursday, as they tried to get into Al-Qubair in central Hama province to verify reports of the killing of at least 80 people. A vehicle was damaged.

"The monitors will try again on Friday to enter Al-Qubair village," UN spokesman Hassan Siklawi told dpa.

Opposition activists blamed pro-government paramilitaries, known as Shabeeha, for the alleged massacre on Wednesday, saying women and children were among the dead.

The UN observers have been monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Syria, with their three-month mandate set to expire next month.

Activists on Friday reported heavy shelling by troops in the Al Khalidiyeh district in the central Homs province. They gave no casualty figures.

International envoy Kofi Annan is to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington Friday. Clinton's special adviser on Syria, Fred Hof, is meanwhile scheduled to hold talks with officials in Russia, Syria's ally.

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