UN Diplomats Wives Takes on Syria's First Lady

Syrian first lady Asma Assad (L) chats with a little girl as she participates in a planting campaign launched by volunteers in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and other civil and charity organizations in Qatana city. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The wives of the German and British ambassadors to the UN have released a video urging Syria's first lady to help end the bloodshed in her country.

The film, posted on YouTube, asks Asma Assad to urge her husband, Bashar al-Assad, to stop violent repression and stop being a bystander.

"Stand up for peace, Asma," a voice in the video demands. "Speak out now. For the sake of your people. Stop your husband and his supporters. Stop being a bystander."

In one clip, the Syrian first lady can be seen bending down to kiss a young girl stepping off a bus. The next image is of a woman embracing what appears to be a dead child.

"Asma, when you kiss your own children goodnight, another mother will find the place next to her empty," the narrator says.

The video is the latest in a series of professionally-produced videos aimed at stirring or shocking people into action. It asks viewers to sign a petition.

"We want her (al-Assad) to speak out for the end of violence. That is what we want. Stop the bloodshed. Stop it now. We know this is a risk for you, but take this risk," Huberta von Voss-Wittig, the wife of Germany's U.N. ambassador, told CNN late Tuesday.

Huberta von Voss Wittig and Sheila Lyall Grant, the wife of Britain's UN ambassador, say they made the video "on their own initiative."

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