U.N. rights body mulls resolution on foreign fighters in Syria’s Qusayr

A draft resolution condemning the Syrian regime’s use of foreign fighters in the besieged town of Qusayr will be debated on Wednesday by the U.N.’s top rights body,

The draft resolution, presented on Tuesday, “condemns the intervention of foreign combatants fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime in al-Qusayr,” an implicit reference to the involvement of fighters from Lebanon’s Shiite group Hezbollah in the fierce battle for the strategic town.

The Syrian army, backed by fighters from Hezbollah, began an assault on the rebel stronghold of Qusayr on Sunday May 19.

Both the rebels and the regime view the town in central Homs province as a key strategic prize, because it lies near the Lebanese border and by the road connecting Damascus to the coast.

The draft resolution, which was put forward by the United States, Turkey and Qatar and which if passed would be non-binding, cautions that the presence of the foreign fighters in the western town "poses a serious threat to regional stability," according to AFP news agency.

The text also calls on the Syrian authorities to "allow free and unimpeded access by the United Nations and humanitarian agencies to all civilians affected by the violence, especially in al-Qusayr."

The draft resolution stressed "the need to ensure accountability for those responsible for the massacre in al-Qusayr, (as well as for) all those responsible for the serious violations of international humanitarian rights law in Syria."

Hezbollah has lost dozens of fighters in its bid to help the Syrian regime regain control of the town near the Lebanese border, and its involvement is