UN: SYRIA DEATH TOLL RISES 100,000

        New York, 18 Ramadan 1434 /26 July 2013 (MINA) – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking to the press at United Nations Headquarters in New York, stressed that a political solution is the only way to end the Syrian conflict, adding that they would step up efforts to facilitate dialogue among all parties.

       “More than 100,000 people have been killed, and millions of people have either been displaced or become refugees in neighbouring countries. We have to bring this to an end,” Mr. Ban told reporters ahead of closed-door talks between the two officials and a ministerial-level Security Council meeting on Africa’s Great Lakes region, which Mr. Kerry will chair, according to UN official website reports as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

         “Military and violent actions must be stopped by all parties and it is thus imperative to have a peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible, as initiated by Mr. Kerry and Rusian FM Mr. Lavrov,” the Secretary-General underscored, adding that he and Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi would spare no effort to convene this meeting as soon as possible.

         In May 2013, following talks in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry, the two countries announced they would work together to achieve a political solution to the Syria crisis, and agreed to convene an international conference aimed at achieving this goal.

        However, a date for the conference has not yet been set and talks are continuing on the best time for it to be held, who should participate, how it should be structured and some of the questions to be discussed. 

         “There is no military solution to Syria, there is only a political solution and that will require leadership to bring people to the negotiating table,” Kerry said, adding that he and Lavrov remain committed to make the Geneva meeting happen.

         As for the private meeting between the two officials, Ban said he and Kerry would discuss not just the situation in Syria, but also the situation in the Middle East.

         The UN chief commended Kerry’s leadership and consistent engagement to revive the peace process for a two-State solution. He urged the leaders of Palestine and Israel to “seize this opportunity and respond positively and courageously so that the two-State solution can be realized as soon as possible.

          A week ago, The call was made by the deputy prime minister of Syria Qadri Jamil, the leader of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, (PFCL), Monday (22/7) at the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

          “The Syrian government is open to hold a dialogue with the opposition. We hope it will be able to end the Syrian crisis that has been ongoing since 2011.  Geneva Conference 2 will be held in the few next monts,” he told reporters.

          Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Syrian issue is an internationally problem. All countries should help to find a solution to the crisis in Syria to be resolved soon by way of peace.

          “The main responsibility for all Syrian people sufferings is on Western countries,” Sergei Lavrov said

           The Russian Foreign Minister also stated the issue of Syria is the responsibility of the international community. State leaders, especially Islamic countries should participate in efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria that has claimed more than 90,000 lives and more than one million people became refugees.

Syrian refugees

            According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 1.6 million Syrians are hosted in foreign countries, placing unprecedented strain on communities, infrastructure and services in host countries. There has been a massive escalation of arrivals in 2013. Over one million Syrian refugees have registered as refugees since the beginning of 2013.

            Women and children make up three-quarters of the refugee population. The vast majority of refugees are dependent on aid, arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs.

            They have fled to immediate neighbours Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Yet the real number of Syrians refugees in these countries is much higher – perhaps double UNHCR statistics, which only record those officially registered as refugees.

            It is a project of the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, based on a series of studies conducted by local researchers on behalf of the MPC at the end of 2012. This is the result of close collaboration between a team of journalists and these local researchers, under the auspices of the MPC, to paint a broad picture of the worst refugee crisis to affect the region in years. 

            This is also examines the role played by the European Union: both in providing humanitarian aid as well as accepting refugees. While the EU is a leading aid contributor to the region, evidence shows that an expected refugee influx did not materialize.

            Absorbing the massive influx of refugees has been an enormous challenge for Syria’s neighbours, with strong implications for the stability of the entire region. We hope it can help understand the context behind the crisis. (T/P04/P03)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)