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Geneva talks only way out of Syrian crisis - European Commission

BRUSSELS, Feb 4 (KUNA) -- President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, met the President of the UN General Assembly John Ashe in Strasbourg Tuesday at the sidelines of the European Parliament session.
During the meeting, the two men discussed global issues, and reviewed major peace and security developments, namely in Syria and in Central African Republic, according to a statement released by Barroso's office.
"Geneva 2 is the only vehicle left to engage the opposition and the regime on the political transition. We do hope that the two sides now meeting in Geneva will persevere in their mediation efforts and start through small steps to build confidence that will allow the de-escalation of conflict and lessen its impact on civilians," stated the head of the EU's executive body.
"Our overall assistance now amounts to 2.6 billion euro and we will continue to lead with assistance efforts to all Syrians and hosting communities and neighbouring countries," he added.
On the Central African Republic, Barroso stated that the EU remains deeply concerned by the extreme insecurity and instability there. (end) nk.ibi KUNA 042202 Feb 14NNNN