UN slams Syrian army on rights

Dubai: A UN panel said yesterday that government forces are to blame for most rights abuses in the unrest sweeping Syria as a rights watchdog reported an 11th straight day of shelling of a rebel bastion.

In Geneva, the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry on Syria said security forces were behind most of the serious abuses committed since March this year. "Most of the serious human rights violations documented by the Commission in this update were committed by the Syrian army and security services as part of military or search operations conducted in locations known for hosting defectors and/or armed persons, or perceived as supportive of anti-government armed groups," the panel said.

Meanwhile, in Damascus, President Bashar Al Assad yesterday told visiting Iranian minister Reza Taqipour that Syria would recover from the unrest as his forces pounded the rebel-held town of Rastan in central Homs and other areas, killing at least 13.

Four people were also "summarily executed" in a province bordering Turkey, a monitoring group said.