Geneva Meeting on Syria Advocates Political Solution to Crisis
GENEVA (ST) – Under the title “Syria , the road towards peace”, prominent non-governmental organizations held a meeting at the UN Headquarters in Geneva under the auspices of the Russia ‘s Permanent Representative to the UN , on the occasion of the UN Human Rights council 23rd session.
In a statement on Saturday , the Russian Foreign Ministry said that all delegations participating in the meeting agreed on “the necessity of achieving a peaceful solution on the basis of the Geneva statement and an inter-Syrian national dialogue in order to resolve the crisis by the Syrians themselves and provide an atmosphere that allows all people a sense of security, regardless of their ethnic and religious affiliations or political opinions. “
The delegations greatly appreciated Russia’s role in resolving the crisis in Syria, especially the Russian initiative to hold an international conference on Syria in Geneva.
In a letter addressed to the participants in the meeting the Republic Grand Mufti Dr. Ahmad Badr Eddine Hassoun, called for the need ” to stop the flow of arms and terrorists into Syria, and support the peaceful efforts to resolve the crisis,” calling on political opposition outside Syria to return back home.
Mufti Hassoun urged the parties debating the situation in Syria via Human Rights Council to be objective and neutral when making decisions, calling on everyone to visit Syria and follow the truth as it is instead of building convictions through the media.
” We are waiting for any committee sent by the UN or Human Rights organizations to acquaint them with full facts.” He ewmphasized.
Hassoun added that reform is a popular demand, and the change for the better is mankind instinct but using killing of humans, stealing, eating of hearts of the dead , destruction of infrastructure , weakening of the economy , distracting of families , displacement of people, and the exclusion of man by religious belief are all practiced by armed terrorist groups that entered Syria through the open border with the complicity of neighboring countries, which armed the terrorists .
Russia ‘s permanent representative to the UN at Geneva headquarters Alexei Borodavkin stressed that ” religious minorities, including Christians are threatened in Syria by armed groups extremist which declare openly their intentions to impose their own rules in Syria .”
He stressed that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement for the crisis in Syria but the Geneva statement of June 30, 2012, stressing that Russia continues efforts to hold an international conference on Syria to launch an inter Syrian dialogue.
Yelena Agabova, Vice-President of the Assembly of Orthodox Russian- Palestinian empire and Natalia Naarotchinskaya director of Paris Institute called for the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Syria . They noted that fueling religious hostilities by extremists threatens balance in the region as a whole.
Key representatives of leading religious, political and social development circles in Syria and countries in the region gave evidences on insurgents carried out by terrorists, who committed crimes and acts of atrocities against ethnic and religious minorities , destroyed mosques and churches .
The participants in the meeting called external funders of the armed opposition to stop their support for the extremists who do not only threaten Syria ‘s existence but stability in the region, pointing to the destructive role of unilateral economic sanctions against the Syrian people.
In the same context, the Russian Vesti television said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “who demanded condemnation of the Syrian authorities a month ago , now accused the opposition al-Nusra front over committing acts of violence, torture and the use of children in combat operations against the Syrian regular army.”
For her part, noble Prize winner for peace Merida Corrigan said: “What is happening in Syria is not a religious war,” pointing out that thousands of foreign fighters, including Europeans are in the ranks of the armed opposition and can not leave Syria because leaders of armed groups confiscated their money , passports and personal documents.”
A Swiss non-governmental organization suggested providing assistance to European families whose sons went for “jihad” in Syria to look for them, but the European media do not publish such ads.
Pahar Comiungur President of Peace and Justice Institute said: “We are shocked after two major French newspapers refused our calls and mothers of these young headed for European countries, Turkey and Syria , appealing help in the search for their sons who have been trapped by jihadists, but the French authorities ignored this matter, rather British and French media fabricated fuss about chemical weapons , opting a military solution to the crisis “.
T. Fateh