EU urges int'l community to act to end sufferings of Syrians

BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- The EU expressed concern Monday that the humanitarian situation in parts of Syria, in particular in the De-Escalation Areas of Eastern Ghouta and Idlib, has deteriorated significantly over the past eight weeks.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides released a joint statement tonight saying there have been dozens of civilian deaths and hundreds of wounded in Eastern Ghouta today alone.
More than 300,000 civilians have been displaced in the northern Governorate of Idlib, with destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, they noted.
"To prevent further children and families, the most vulnerable, being killed. The international community should unite to stop this human suffering," stressed the EU statement.
"There is no military solution to the conflict, we call on all parties to seriously engage in the UN-led political process," they said.
The latest development in Syria was discussed in Brussels today by Mogherini and a delegation of the Syria Negotiation Committee (SNC) led by its President, Nasr Hariri, accompanied by women representatives.
The need to urgently make progress on the political track under UN auspices and to maintain the international engagement to solve the political and humanitarian situation in Syria was recalled by all the participants, said the statement.
It added that the EU will host the second Brussels Conference on 24-25 April, using its convening power to maintain the focus of the international community on the Syria crisis and to see how to best support the UN-led political process in this difficult time. (end) nk.ibi