UN peacekeeping chief: Syria too dangerous, mission won’t resume

Mission head tells Security Council observers came under direct fire at least 10 times

Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, head of the UN observer mission in Syria, speaks to reporters after briefing the Security Council Tuesday on the situation in Syria. (photo credit: Mary Altaffer/AP)
Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, head of the UN observer mission in Syria, speaks to reporters after briefing the Security Council Tuesday on the situation in Syria. (photo credit: Mary Altaffer/AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. peacekeeping chief has told the Security Council that it’s too dangerous for U.N. observers in Syria to resume their mission.

A diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity said Tuesday that Herve Ladsous told a closed council meeting that the mission could restart at some point but that for the time being, it’s too dangerous.

U.N. forces in Syria repeatedly came under fire before the U.N. suspended the 300-member mission earlier this month.

Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the mission’s head, told the council at the time that the observers had suffered direct fire at least 10 times, had been in several indirect fire incidents. He said nine U.N. vehicles had been damaged or struck by small arms fire.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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