Statement attributable to the Head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria, General Robert Mood Civilians continue to be trapped by the escalating violence in Syria. In Homs, attempts to extract civilians from the line of fire over the past week have been unsuccessful. The Parties must reconsider their position and allow women, children, the elderly and the injured to leave conflict zones, without any preconditions and ensure their safety. This requires willingness on both sides to respect and protect the human life of the Syrian people. I call on the Parties to take immediate action to ease the pain of Syrians trapped in the violence and the UN Supervision Mission in Syria stands ready to monitor their release, once the decision is taken by the Parties. Damascus, 17 June 2012