Swiss may support Syrian humanitarian corridors

The Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey says Switzerland is studying France’s proposal of creating “humanitarian corridors” to help Syria’s civilian population.

Calmy-Rey’s statement came as a United Nations commission of inquiry on Syria, meeting in Geneva, said the Syrian military and security forces had committed crimes against humanity.

“The humanitarian situation is getting worse; we are going to study the idea of humanitarian corridors,” the minister told reporters in Geneva.

“If the project is carried out it will have positive effects and be a good thing,” she noted, adding that the Arab League’s recent sanctions against Syria had to be evaluated.

The proposal would involve linking Syrian civilian centres to the Turkish or Lebanese frontiers, to the Mediterranean coast or to an airport, enabling the supply of humanitarian supplies or medicines to people in need.

On Monday a UN commission of inquiry reported that Syrian troops had killed at least 256 children and committed other “crimes against humanity” including murder, torture and rape since the government crackdown began in March.

The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is expected to hold another special session on Syria, its third, on Friday, at the request of the European Union and other states.