The spokesman of the advance team of UN observers said the number of observers working on the ground in Syria rose to 11 on Monday.
"We have today 11 UN military observers in the team," Neeraj Singh told Xinhua Monday.
He said the advance team visited three locations around the Syrian capital Damascus
"In Douma, in fact, the team spent a considerable amount of time going around, meeting with the people and also conducting patrols afterward," Singh said, adding that "contacts are continuing."He reiterated previous statements that the team's mission is to establish liaison with all the parties and to prepare the ground for the larger mission.
The spokesman said the two observers who were stationed in central Homs province on Saturday are continuing contacts with all the parties there.
After Syria accepted a UN-backed cease-fire aiming to solve the crisis politically, an advance team of international observers set foot in Syria last week to monitor the tenuous cease-fire. Since their arrival, violence has to some extent declined, but attacks and deaths are still reported on a daily basis.
VietNamNet/Xinhuanet
