Syria, United Nations | featured news

United Nations observers monitoring the turmoil in Syria suspended operations on Saturday in response to escalating violence which threatens to kill off a tattered peace plan brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan.

As Russia and China remain steadfast in their refusal to back UN resolutions condemning President Bashar al-Assad, the BBC news website looks at media coverage of the Syria conflict in both countries and whether broadcasters tend to justify this stance.

A defiant Syrian President Bashar Assad offered no new initiatives Sunday to revive a faltering United Nations peace plan but instead assailed a "foreign conspiracy" stoking violence and denied his government had a role in "monstrous massacres" across the nation.

Syrian forces and pro-government militia accused of committing a massacre in Houla could face prosecution for crimes against humanity, the United Nations said on Friday and rights experts said Syrian authorities had directly ordered torture.

U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan has expressed dismay over reports that the Syrian government resumes brutal attacks on cities once U.N. monitors leave -- the latest sign that diplomatic efforts are failing to quash the bloodshed in the country.

International envoy Kofi Annan is expected to brief the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, as reports of carnage in Syria steadily increase despite the council's agreement to boost the number of monitors there.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is tightening his grip on the country during the decrease in violence brought on by U.N. demands, experts on the region say.

Six United Nations military observers arrived overnight and were ready to begin, depending on the cooperation of the Syrian government, a spokesman for the special envoy Kofi Annan said.

The United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of 30 unarmed observers Saturday morning to the Syria.

Cease-fire brokered by the U.N. is fragile as government troops halt widespread attacks, but still refuse to withdraw.