London: The head of the UN mission to Syria on Wednesday said his observers were having a "calming effect" on the ground but admitted the ceasefire was "shaky" and not holding.
Speaking in Damascus to Britain`s Sky News, Major General Robert Mood brushed off criticism that the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) had been too slow to get going. The Norwegian said their numbers of boots on the ground would double in the coming days.
"This is not easy and we are seeing -- by the action, by explosions, by firing -- that the ceasefire is really a shaky one. It`s not holding," the 53-year-old said. "But what we are also seeing on the ground is that where we have observers present, they have a calming effect and we`re also seeing that those operating on the ground, they take advice from our observers."
PTI