September 12, 2010 by sks
Mr. Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, visited Syria between 29 August and 7 September 2010.
On 7 September, he conveyed to the Government his preliminary reflections on his visit. Later that day, he held a press conference in Damascus at the Four Seasons Hotel. He opened the press conference with some preliminary remarks about his visit. His preliminary conclusions are set out below. [Full report in pdf available UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food: Mission to Syria from 29 August to 7 September 2010]
The following are extracts from the above report [sections are highlighted by SKS]. The report raises serious concern that the people living in the north-eastern (Kurdish) regions are being significantly affected by the lack of water. In effect, the report is critical of the political attitude of the Syrian Government towards Kurds, and especially stateless Kurds, which denies these very vulnerable people the right to support in this time of drought:
