DAMASCUS- The United Nations said Syria signed Thursday a preliminary agreement for an expanded U.N. mission to monitor a shaky cease-fire in the government's conflict with rebels leading the uprising.
The primary understanding on regulating the work mechanism of the UN observers in Syria was officially signed Thursday at the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs.
Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, signed on behalf of the Syrian side, while Head of the Technical Delegation, Military Advisor, Gen. Abhijit Guha, from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) signed on behalf of the United Nations at the presence of the two delegations participating in the negotiations.
Syria state-run news agency SANA reported “The primary understanding comes in the view of the Syrian efforts aiming at making Annan's plan a success and facilitating the observers' mission in the framework of the Syrian sovereignty and relevant sides' commitment to it in light of the full adherence to the regulatory international law criteria of such kind of international missions' work.”
A small group of unarmed U.N. soldiers began monitoring the truce earlier this week. The cease-fire took effect last Thursday, but fighting has continued across the country.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to quickly adopt a resolution expanding the observer team in Syria from about 30 to 300 personnel. He also called on Syria to cooperate with the monitors by ensuring their freedom of movement, including through the use of helicopters.
The U.N. chief described the situation in Syria as “highly precarious,” citing recent reports of government shelling of civilian areas and attacks by armed opposition groups.
A U.N.-backed survey released on Thursday said 230,000 Syrians have been displaced in the country since the uprising began in March 2011.
Syria has been wracked by violence since a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The UN has estimated that more than 9,000 people have so far been killed in the Syrian conflict, but other groups said the death toll was greater than 11,000.
Damascus says 6,044 have died, including 2,566 soldiers and policemen. The Syrian government had also said the 13-month-old unrest in Syria is the work of armed groups and Islamic fundamentalists backed by foreign conspiracy.