NEWS FLASH

U.N. Security Council Condemns Violence, Rights Abuses In Syria | The United Nations Security Council today condemned violence against peaceful demonstrators and human rights abuses in Syria, after the Syrian army stormed Hama, a bastion of the opposition movement. Action against Syria had been held up for months by a group of hesitant nations led by Russia, which softened its line Tuesday in the face of mounting violence in Hama. Though stopping short of a more forceful condemnation in the form of a resolution, the statement read by the Council’s Indian president called for an end to the violence. All 15 members acceded to the statement, but Syria’s neighbor Lebanon used a rare procedure to distance themselves from the statement’s text. The U.S. was supportive of condemning Syria, but reportedly agreed early in negotiations to a non-binding statement rather than a resolution.