The United Nations and the Syrian Conflict

The Takeaway

After 18 months, and over 20,000 dead, there’s still no end in sight for the conflict Syria.  Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Monday and urged the international community to stay out of Syrian affairs. “This is blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Syria and the unity of its people and its sovereignty,” he said. “The Syrian people and only the Syrian people are authorized to choose their own future and the form of their state.”
Just hours after Minister al-Moallem addressed the General Assembly, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon warned a meeting of high-level U.N. officers about “dire consequences,” should the Syrian government use chemical weapons against the rebels.  Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, explains the U.N.’s strategy going forward.
We also talk with Safa Sankari, a Syrian-American, whose family is currently residing in Aleppo.

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