The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Friday to adopt an Arab-drafted resolution that condemns the Syrian government for the violent actions it has taken over the past 17 months and asks authorities to comply with a six-point peace plan devised by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. The resolution passed by a vote of 133 in favor, 12 against, and 31 abstentions. The resolution condemns attacks on civilians including children by the Syrian government, military-intelligence services, and militias, as well as killing and maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment, including violence, and use of human shields. The General Assembly resolution also condemns the increasing Syrian military reliance on heavy weapons, including tanks and helicopters, and “failure to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons to their barracks" in line with Annan's peace plan.
