EU Demands Immediate Implementation of UN Resolution on Syria

Brussels, MINA – The EU has demanded that the unanimously adopted UNSCR 2401 is fully and immediately implemented and that the military escalation inside Syria, in particular the ongoing tragedy in Eastern Ghouta, should stop.

This was expressed in a letter sent by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini to the three guarantors of the Astana process on Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey.

“United Nations Security Council Resolution 2401, for which the EU Member States represented in the UNSC have relentlessly worked, presents today the opportunity to consistently implement the spirit of the decisions taken in Astana, and should lead to a national ceasefire,” says the letter a copy of which was seen by the Kuwait news agency, KUNA, Wednesday.

“As combat is still ongoing, and since the UNSC Resolution calls for a ceasefire without delay, we call on you, as the three guarantors of the Astana process, to take all necessary steps to ensure that the fighting stops, that the Syrian people are protected, and finally that urgent humanitarian access and necessary medical evacuations are taking place,” said the letter.

Mogherini noted that the EU welcomed the outcomes of Astana, with regard to the creation of four de-escalation zones, which were seen as a test case for a nation-wide ceasefire and as a way to give solid ground for sustainable intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, under UN auspices.

“Although their implementation was in the beginning promising, violence unfortunately rapidly reappeared on the ground, and today is clearly escalating dramatically,” it added.

The letter was addressed to foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey, Sergey Lavrov , Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu respectively. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)