SYRIANS FLEEING QUSAYR REPORT HARSH CONDITIONS ALONG DANGEROUS ROUTE NEAR LEBANESE OUTPOST – UN AGENCY

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 4 Jun 2013 17:00:00 -0400
Subject: SYRIANS FLEEING QUSAYR REPORT HARSH CONDITIONS ALONG
DANGEROUS ROUTE – UN AGENCY
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

SYRIANS FLEEING QUSAYR REPORT HARSH CONDITIONS ALONG DANGEROUS ROUTE –
UN AGENCYNew York, Jun 4 2013 5:00PMThe embattled Syrian town of
Qusayr is badly damaged and the living conditions there are extremely
difficult, people crossing into Lebanon to escape the violence have
told the United Nations refugee agency.

Refugees describe Qusayr as a "ghost town, heavily damaged and rocked
by warfare," UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Melissa Fleming
<"http://www.unhcr.org/51adb9a02.html">told journalists in Geneva.

UNHCR has received reports that people are hiding in bunkers or holes
dug as shelters. One lady said her family could not leave their hole
for a week and had to live off the food they could bring with them,
she said, adding that the agency could not verify the reports.

"From the handful of interviews we have done so far, it appears that a
new route for displaced people has opened up from the Qusayr area
towards Arsal in Lebanon, about 100 kilometres away," Ms. Fleming
noted. She also said that some people flee to Lebanon while others are
displaced internally to towns, including Rankous, Dahel, Qara, Flita
and Nabek.

The refugees – mostly women and children - said the difficult journey
to the border has to be made by foot.

"Fighters are said to be targeting people as they try to flee. No
route out of Qusayr is considered safe, and there are continued
reports of between 700 and 1,500 injured civilians being trapped in
Qusayr," Ms. Fleming said.

"Those we have spoken to say it is unsafe to flee with men, who are at
heightened risk of being arrested or killed at checkpoints along the
way. None of the refugees was able or willing to identify those who
are manning the checkpoints," the spokesperson said.

She noted that one woman had told UNHCR staff that people in Qusayr
were faced with a stark choice, "You leave and risking being killed .
. . or you stay and face a certainty of being killed."

The UN agency stressed that it does not have access to the city and
the refugee accounts are hard to verify. "However, we share the
concern of others over the serious humanitarian situation and the
risks for the civilian population. It is imperative that people
seeking a route out of Qusayr, and other unsafe locations, be allowed
access to safe areas," Ms. Fleming stressed.

Over the weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN humanitarian chief
Valerie Amos and UN human rights head Navi Pillay called for the
protection of civilians and urged that thousands of trapped residents
be allowed to flee the city.

"As preparations for an international conference on Syria intensify,
he [Mr. Ban] reminds all parties to the conflict that the eyes of the
world are upon them, and that they will be held accountable for any
acts of atrocity carried out," his spokesperson had said in a
statement.

Since March 2011, fighting between the Syrian Government and
opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad has killed
more than 70,000 people, and left 6.8 million people in need. In
addition, the UN estimates that some 1.5 million Syrians have fled
their country to escape conflict.Jun 4 2013 5:00PM
________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/UN.News.Centre) and
Twitter (http://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre)

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/


--
President of The United States
Guy Ralph Perea Sr President of The United States
Weatherdata1046am0426 a Discussion Group of
Weatherdata<http://groups.google.com/group/weatherdata1046am0426>
USFMSC
http://www.cityfreq.com/ca/avalon/>
QUALIFY QICP
OCCUPS
http://www.occupationalinfo.org/02/025062010.html
goldlandabstracts; link check
own search engine - The United
States International Policies
http://apps.facebook.com/faceblogged/?uid=1340855784
http://lnk.ms/8d5gl aol
http://groups.google.com/group/united-states-of-american
http://twitter.com/ptusss Federal Communication
Commission<http://columbiabroadcast.spaces.live.com/>

Ambassador Chevy Chase; Kevin Corcran; Jack Nickolas; Cher; Shirley Temple
Black; Liza Minnille; Ansari; Ernest Tascoe; Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
Agent Jodie Foster; Department of Veterans Affairs Director George H.W. Bush
Title 22 USCS section 1928 (b) The e-mail
transmission may contain legally privileged information that
is intended only for the individual or entity recipient, you are hereby,
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance upon the
contents of this E-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
E-mail transmission in error, please reply to the sender, so arrangements
can be made for proper delivery. Title 42
USCS section 192 etseq Margie Paxton Chief of Childrens Bureau
Director of The United States Department of Human Services; Defendant
Article IV General Provisions Section 2
(Supreme Law of The Land) The Constitution of The United States "Any thing
in The Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary Notwithstanding"
Contrary to Law (of an act or omission) illegal;
https://twitter.com/presidentus1