RUSSIA AND EGYPT TO SUPPORT SYRIA TRUCE
“Russia and Egypt support a ceasefire in Syria as soon as possible and the launch of negotiations” between the Syrian government and the opposition, Putin said following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi in the Russian city of Sochi on Friday, an Iranian PressTV reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The two leaders called for a peaceful solution of the ongoing unrest in Syria.
Morsi said the Syrian issue was their high agenda. “We were looking for a solution that would help to settle the crisis as soon as possible. The issue was high on our agenda,” said Morsi after the meeting.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The media reported Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
Several international human rights organizations have accused the foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.
UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos, and High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on April 18 that a quarter of Syria’s 22 million people are displaced within the country and 1.3 million have fled the violence to other states in the Middle East and North Africa. (T/P01/P03)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
