Manila demands Syrian rebels free 21 Filipino UN observers
New York City (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Manila government is demanding the immediate release of 21 citizens, all UN observers, taken hostage by rebel groups Syrians on the Golan Heights.
The 21 people abducted are part of a group of 300
Filipinos from the "United Nations Disengagement Observer Force [UNDOF] in
the Golan Heights". The unit is stationed on the heights between Syria and
Israel to ensure the absence of military actions between the two ancient
enemies since the Yom Kippur War (1973).
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has condemned the kidnapping and the Security
Council has demanded the release of 21 the hostages.
According to UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey, the UN observers were stopped yesterday by a group of 30 armed near an observation post. A video posted on the internet shows their capture, which took place near the village of Jamlah, in the province of Daraa. The group "Martyrs of Yarmouk" has claimed responsibility and is accusing the UN observers of supporting the Assad government. The group claim "they will not be released until the forces of Bashar Assad are withdrawn from the village of Jamlah, on the border with Israel. " There have been recent clashes between Syrians rebels and army in the area. The "Martyrs of Yarmouk" first accused the observers of passing information of their position to Syrian soldiers, and then stated that they took the observers to use them as a human shield, so that the Syrians would not target them. In any case, they say they are treating the UN observers "like guests". Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos, said that his countrymen are "being treated well, like guests and not as an enemy force"
Russian ambassador to the UN, Vitali Churkin, described
the kidnapping of the observers as "particularly bizarre and unacceptable"
given that these peacekeepers are unarmed and have nothing to do with the
Syrian conflict. He has also called on nations to use their influence on the
Syrian opposition to free the hostages. He did not name names, but it is known
that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are suppliers of money and weapons to
various groups fighting Bashar Assad.
In almost two years, the Syrian conflict, which began as an expression of the
Arab Spring, has degenerated into a civil war, with regional and international
dimensions. The UN Security Council is divided between support for the rebels
and Assad, who is supported by Russia and China in particular.
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