U.N. calls for trials on Syrian atrocities

BEIRUT – A United Nations commission on Monday said fighters on both sides in Syria’s civil war have committed atrocities and should be brought to justice, while European Foreign Ministers extended an arms embargo on the country in hopes it would limit the ability of both sides to wage war.

The announcements had little resonance inside Syria, however, where rebels fought to capture airbases in the north and the forces of President Bashar Assad shelled rebellious areas throughout the country.

The report issued Monday by the U.N.-appointed Commission of Inquiry on Syria served as a grim state-of-play on the brutal conflict that the U.N. says has killed some 70,000 people since March 2011.

The report detailed deepening radicalization by both sides, who increasingly see the war in sectarian terms and rely on brutal tactics to advance their cause, spreading hardship among the country’s civilians.

The report accused both sides of atrocities, while saying that those committed by rebel fighters have not reached the “intensity and scale” of the government’s violations.

Regime forces and its associated militias have committed crimes against humanity, the report said, citing murder, torture and rape. It said rebels have committed war crimes, including murder, torture, looting and hostage-taking.

The commission said it will submit a new, confidential list of Syrians suspected of committing crimes against humanity to the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, next month.

The commission, appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, acknowledged that it had not been able to work inside Syria, a situation that “significantly limited” its ability to investigate alleged abuses – particularly those committed by rebels.

Also Monday, European Union foreign ministers said they were keeping an arms embargo against Syria in place for three more months, blocking a push by some to ease restrictions so some countries could arm the rebels.