Germany said Tuesday some members in the Syrian government may have committed crimes against humanity when Damascus launched a "brutal crackdown" against pro-democracy protesters that has brought the country to the brink of civil war, dpa reported.
German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Link told the UN Security Council that Damascus failed to substantially meet demands of the Arab League to end the bloodshed and instead responded with more military attacks on the protesters.
He called the violence against civilians a state policy. "Some members of the Syrian regime may have committed crimes against humanity," Link said. "The Syrian people can justifiedly expect that the Srcurity Council no longer closes its eyes to the violence in the country."
"It is time for the Security Council to meet its responsibilities by acting on a resolution" that would result in a peaceful solution to the bloodshed, Link said. "We want a decision as quickly as possible, hopefully this week."