EU official cites reports accusing Assad regime of mass killings in Syria
DUBAI: A top EU official on Monday claimed that remnants of the regime of ousted leader Bashar Assad were responsible for the recent mass killings in two of the Syrian Arab Republic's coastal cities.
Speaking to Al Arabiya Television, Anita Heber, the EU's foreign affairs and security policy spokesperson, said the body has reports confirming this charge.
Heber said the transitional authorities in Syria have moved to contain the situation, and she called for those responsible to be held accountable.
She also stressed that Europe was working toward a comprehensive political transition in Syria.
Syria's interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, has vowed he would find those who killed the Alawite civilians this past week.
In its latest report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 973 Alawite civilians were killed execution-style by either security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus since March 6.
The UN's rights chief Volker Turk said the killings 'must cease immediately,' while the Arab League, US, Britain and several governments have condemned the violence.
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