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UNITED NATIONS, United States - The UN Security Council on Friday condemned recent massacres of civilians in Syria and urged its transitional authorities to respect all people regardless of religion or ethnicity.
In a statement, the council said it condemned widespread violence in western Syria since March 6 that has included "mass killings of civilians," particularly among the Alawite community, associated with ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad.
At least 1,383 civilians, the vast majority of them Alawites, were killed in a recent wave of violence that gripped Syria's Mediterranean coast, a war monitor said this week.
The Security Council expressed "grave concern over the impact of this violence on escalating tensions among communities in Syria and calls on all parties to immediately cease all violence and inflammatory activities and to ensure that all civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian operations are protected."
"The Security Council calls on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion," it added.