U.N. observers mass for 2nd try at accessing alleged Syria massacre site

[pampango]

Source: CBS

Three teams of observers from the United Nations monitoring mission in Syria have massed in the city of Hama and are awaiting the green light from the provincial governor to try to access the village of Qubeir, where the opposition says regime forces massacred scores of people on Wednesday.

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, traveling with the U.N. observers, says that in total three teams - from Damascus, Hama and Homs - were expected to try and get into the village in 11 vehicles, traveling in "waves".

A contingent of U.N. staff was blocked from the village on Thursday by Syrian military personnel at checkpoints, and by mobs of angry locals chanting pro-Assad slogans and warning the observers that they would be met with violence if they entered Qubeir. Members of the U.N. mission tell Palmer that some observers were detained for hours Thursday by state forces.

Even when the observers do get in, questions will be asked about what may have taken place in the village between the incident and the arrival of those first impartial eyes. For two days now, only the Syrian government has had access to Qubeir. The worry is there might not be much left for the observers to observe when they finally make it into the village.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-57449393-503543/u.n-observers-mass-for-2nd-try-at-accessing-alleged-syria-massacre-site/

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Since the Syrian government has been in control of the site of the massacre for two days I don't know what the UN observers expect to find at this point in time. It's probably still a good idea to force the issue, if they can, as a precedent for gaining more timely access to future sites.

[may3rd]

1. ..."mobs of angry locals chanting pro-Assad slogans and warning the observers that ...

.."A contingent of U.N. staff was blocked from the village on Thursday by Syrian military personnel at checkpoints, and by mobs of angry locals chanting pro-Assad slogans and warning the observers that they would be met with violence if they entered Qubeir..."

Why doesn't Elizabeth Palmer interview the angry locals while the UN team waits for the 'all clear' ? Would it be considered bias to take pictures and ask why these locals in Hama are pro Assad ?

[Dokkie]

2. Good question

Me wonders, when the west wants to smear and character assassinate you, you know you are in real big trouble. Just hope that the people of Syria can drive the gun touting foreign thugs out of their country and then deal with Assad.

[Vincent89]

3. Spam deleted by Violet_Crumble (MIR Team)

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village

The smell of burnt flesh and evidence of bloodshed have greeted a BBC correspondent entering the village of Qubair in Syria, scene of a massacre.

Our correspondent, travelling with UN monitors, found buildings gutted and burnt, but no sign of people in the tiny village near the city of Hama.
...
"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.

The largest of the two houses on the hilltop has been gutted by fire. The stench of burnt flesh is still strong. In front of me there is a piece of brain, in the corner there is a mass on congealed blood. "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18364674