Brussels, 31/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - With violence escalating in Syria, European International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva fears the worse and calls urgently for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to be marked.
“Syria is sliding into a large scale humanitarian tragedy that brings back awful memories of Ex-Yugoslavia. For the sake of people subjected to daily violence and horrors, we must not let this happen”, she said on Tuesday 31 July, stating that the parties to the civil war are bound by International Humanitarian Law to spare non-combatant civilians, “especially women and children”.
She added: “Humanitarian aid is no solution to the conflict; but should neither be taken hostage by the conflict. I appeal to the international community and in particular the United Nations Security Council to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Syria and support my call for humanitarian pauses and respect for International Humanitarian Law”. (AN/transl.rt)