UN observers warn of civil war in Syria after massacre

DAMASCUS: The head of a UN mission warned on Saturday of "civil war" in Syria after his observers counted more than 92 bodies, 32 of them children, in the town of Houla following reports of a massacre there.

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced it was no longer committed to the UN-backed peace plan for Syria unless there was prompt UN intervention to protect civilians.

UN head of mission Major General Robert Mood condemned "in the strongest possible terms the brutal tragedy" in Houla in central Syria, where he said UN monitors counted 92 bodies including "more than 32 under the age of 10."

"The circumstances that led to these tragic killings are still unclear," Mood told reporters in Damascus.

"Whoever started, whoever responded and whoever carried out this deplorable act of violence should be held responsible.

"Those using violence for their own agendas will create more instability, more unpredictability and may lead the country to civil war," Mood added, describing the violence as "indiscriminate and disproportionate."

The killings triggered condemnations from Britain, Germany and France, where Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was making "immediate arrangements" for an international meeting on Syria.

His British counterpart William Hague said consultations were under way and "we will be calling for an urgent session of the UN Security Council in the coming days."

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement he was "shocked and horrified" by the killings.

Mood confirmed that artillery and tank shells were used to pound Houla and called "on the Syrian government to cease the use of heavy weapons and to all parties to cease violence in all its forms."

But the rebel FSA said it could no longer commit to the ceasefire brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

"We announce that unless the UN Security Council takes urgent steps for the protection of civilians, Annan's plan is going to go to hell," an FSA statement said.

Earlier the head of the FSA's military council, Turkey-based General Mustafa Ahmed al-Sheikh, urged the Friends of Syria nations to launch air strikes against President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Targeted strikes against regime forces is the "appropriate stance after the heinous crime committed by Assad's assassin regime in the Houla region."

The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) demanded prompt UN Security Council action, while the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused the Arab and international communities of being "complicit" in the killings.

The shelling of Houla began at around midday on Friday and continued until dawn on Saturday, the Observatory said.

Amateur videos posted on YouTube showed horrifying images of dead children, with at least one child's head partly blown away.

SNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani said "some of the victims were hit by heavy artillery while others, entire families, were massacred."

"The Syrian National Council urges the UN Security Council to call for an emergency meeting to examine the situation in Houla and to determine the responsibility of the United Nations in face of such mass killings, expulsions and forced migration from entire neighbourhoods."

State news agency SANA blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the killings, adding that "clashes led to the killing of several terrorists and the martyrdom of several members of the special forces." (AFP)