United Nations suspends mission in Syria

A UN observer walks past a bombed bus in Damascus United Nations monitors suspended their mission to Syria on Saturday, blaming intensifying violence as troops reportedly rained shells down on rebel strongholds, trapping more than 1,000 families in one city alone.
Norwegian General Robert Mood, the head of the UN Stabilisation Mission In Syria (UNSMIS), said observers would cease operations because of the escalating violence. But he said the mission remained committed to ending the violence.  The UK foreign secretary William Hague blamed the government of President Bashar al-Assad for the worsening situation.
The unarmed observers say they have been targeted almost daily since being deployed in mid-April to monitor a UN-backed but widely ignored ceasefire.  Explaining the decision, General Mood spoke of an escalation in fighting and of the risk to his 300-strong team, as well as the "lack of willingness" for peace by the warring parties.
"There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days," General Mood said in a statement.
"This escalation is limiting our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects -- basically impeding our ability to carry out our mandate.
"The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides: innocent civilians, men women and children are being killed every day.
The news comes as activists reported on Saturday that at least 60 people had been killed around the country, with the worst violence in areas around Damascus, where they said 10 people were murdered in the town of Saqba.
At least seven people were killed in Douma, an eastern suburb of the capital Damascus, while at least 18 others died in violence elsewhere, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The opposition Syrian National Council also warned of a looming massacre in Homs which it says is besieged by 30,000 troops and pro-regime militiamen.
The UN Security Council's five permanent members will consider the next steps for the observer mission when Gen Mood briefs them on the situation in Syria on Tuesday. The mission's 298 military observers and 112 civilian staff were sent to Syria to verify the implementation of the Annan plan, which included a ceasefire.
The suspension of the UN observer mission came two months into its three-month mandate, and after the United Nations accused both sides in the Syria conflict of willingly intensifying the violence.
With world powers at loggerheads over how to stem the bloodletting, Syrian ally Russia urged pressure be increased on both the regime and the opposition to cease fighting and start talking peace.
The State Department said US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would discuss differences over Syria at a G20 summit next week.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, whose country along with the United States has been pushing for Assad to quit, said major powers could hold a Syria conference in Geneva on June 30.