Observers return to base after visiting areas around Damascus

Описание: (23 Apr 2012) NIGHT SHOTS
1. Vehicles of the UN observers'' advance team driving into parking lot of Sheraton Hotel
2. UN observers in military uniforms walking towards hotel
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Neeraj Singh, spokesman for the UN observers team
"I''m sure you can see some new faces in the team today, since you were so close to us these days, I''m sure you can recognise the new faces, so I can tell you that as of today we have eleven UN military observers in the team. Not all of them are here. As you know two military observers are deployed in Homs. Today the advance team led by Colonel Ahmed Himiche visited three locations in the neighbourhood around Damascus: Zabadani, Douma and Harasta. In Douma, in fact the team spent a considerable amount of time going around, meeting with the people but also conducting patrols afterwards. Contacts are continuing, we are establishing liaisons with all the parties, preparing the ground for the larger mission coming in."
3. Colonel Ahmed Himiche, head of the UN observer team in Syria, and Singh walk outside hotel, followed by observers
STORYLINE:
The United Nations observers monitoring Syria''s shaky cease-fire on Monday returned to their hotel hours after chanting crowds of anti-regime protesters in rebellious Damascus suburbs had welcomed them.
The UN has sent an advance team observers to Syria as part of international envoy Kofi Annan''s plan to end the fighting between Assad''s forces and those seeking to overthrow his regime.
A spokesman for the team, Neeraj Singh said that as of Monday evening eleven UN military observers were in the country, three more than the initial eight.
More observers are due to arrive in the coming days, and the UN has authorised a mission of 300 total observers, though it remains unclear when the full contingent will arrive.
The UN team on Monday visited the mountain town of Zabadani, about 20 miles (30 kilometres) northwest of the capital Damascus, and they also toured two of the city''s suburbs, Douma and Harasta, Singh told reporters.
All three areas have seen frequent anti-government protests and fierce regime crackdowns. Government troops shelled Douma on Sunday, activists said.
A Zabadani-based activist said he was disappointed with the visit. Tanks that had been posted in the town centre withdrew hours before the visit to an area less than a half kilometre (one mile) away, he said, and the observers declined offers by residents to show them the place.
Rebels seized control of Zabadani in January, successfully repelling regime assaults before losing the town again a month later.
The town is believed to be a key transit point for weapons and funding to the Syrian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
Many Syrians, as well as Western countries, have voiced scepticism about Assad''s willingness to abide by the cease-fire plan for ending the bloodshed and launching talks between the regime and it opponents.
Violence appeared to have dropped on Monday, however, even in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has been the hardest-hit target of the regime''s assaults.
Two UN observers have remained in the city, and activists have reported relatively little violence there in recent days - after daily shelling for months before the observers'' arrival.

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