Diplomacy Can Resolve Syria Crisis Too: Eu’s Mogherini

Ankara,  9 Rabiul Akhir 1437/19 January 2016 (MINA) – EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said the diplomatic success in resolving the Iran nuclear crisis now provides an opportunity to also end the ongoing Syria crisis.

“Yesterday’s ‘Implementation Day’ of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program demonstrates that diplomacy and multilateralism deliver effective result for peace and security,” Mogherini said in a statement Sunday, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting Anadolu Agency.

“It shows that cooperation can prevail over confrontation. It provides an opportunity to intensify regional cooperation to resolve the continuing crisis in Syria and deal with common threat of terrorism that we all face,” she added.

The U.S. and EU lifted international sanctions on Iran Saturday following the announcement of the International Atomic Energy Agency that the country was complying with its nuclear-related obligations agreed last summer.

She underlined that the EU reaffirms its full and active support to the work of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura to launch negotiations in Geneva between all Syrian parties in the coming days.

“It is urgent for all Syrian parties to come together under the auspices of the UN, and with the support of the entire international community, to negotiate a political transition,” Mogherini said.

She also mentioned reports about Daesh allegedly abducting at least 400 civilians, including women and children in Syria.

“Today, the war in Syria has reached a new level of violence; more than 400 people, including women and children, have been reportedly kidnapped or killed by the terrorist organization Daesh,” Mogherini said.

“If confirmed, such terrible acts make clear once again that it is time the civil war, now in its fifth year, was brought to an end, and that all inside and outside Syria join forces to eliminate the threat from Daesh,” she added.

The Syrian civil war has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2011 and turned the country into the world’s largest source of refugees and displaced persons. (T/P010/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)