Canada's foreign affairs minister is laying the blame for deadly violence in Syria squarely on Bashar Assad's regime, and warns the conflict there poses a growing terrorist threat to the "entire region and beyond."
In a speech at the international peace talks that convened in Montreux, Switzerland Wednesday, Baird said, "This war began because Assad refused to respect the basic demands of his own people for their right to freedom."
Baird goes on to describe Assad's "unrestrained savagery" and pursuit of "his own personal privilege and power."
And the conflict that has resulted, Baird said, is raising the threat of terrorism.
"He has invited the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its state sponsor, Iran, into this conflict through the front door and opened the back door to al Qaeda affiliates like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Jabat Al Nusra," Baird said.
When asked about the prospect of the Montreux talks paving a path toward peace, Baird "earnest efforts" to find a peaceful, political solution continue.
"The overriding objective must be to stop the violence against the people of Syria," Baird said before adding, "but those who commit war crimes could and should be held accountable for their actions."
Baird was also asked to comment on the photos released as part of a report by a team of war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts on Tuesday.
"It's one thing to hear of the tragedy, when it comes to large numbers," he said. "It's another thing to see some of the brutal, frightening pictures that have come out independently in recent days."
In a statement Baird said the photos represent evidence of "systemic murder" by the Assad regime, and goes on to demand the Syrian President's regime "treat its prisoners with the respect and dignity that all people deserve and to adhere to its international obligations."
Baird's comments follow the release of photos that, according to the report, were provided by a Syrian military police photographer and smuggled out of the country on memory sticks.
The photos show dead bodies with apparent evidence of brutal beatings, starvation and other forms of torture. Some of the bodies also show signs of emaciation, and some had their eyes removed.
麻豆影视 cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the photos nor the testimony referenced in the report.
