THE United Nations has drawn up a list of the most senior officials in the Syrian regime, including, it is claimed, President Bashar al-Assad himself, who it says should be investigated for ordering ‘crimes against humanity’ and other gross human rights violations.

The sealed report prepared by the UN-appointed independent international commission of inquiry on Syria has been handed over to the UN high commissioner for human rights.

While it accuses both parties to the conflict of torture and extra-judicial executions, it says that the opposition’s rights violations are in no way ‘comparable in scale and organisation’ to the abuses being carried out by the Assad regime, which have led to thousands of deaths.

The news of the report’s delivery came as the Syrian city of Homs endured its 20th straight day of shelling, which has claimed hundreds of lives including those of the Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin and the French photographer Rémi Ochlik.

The disclosure that the most senior figures in the regime are on the list comes a day before a Friends of Syria meeting in Tunis on Friday. 

Discussions are also expected on Thursday on the fringes of the Somalia conference in London, where the foreign secretary, William Hague, is expected to discuss additional measures that could be taken to isolate the Syrian regime amid growing calls to arm the rebels.