The German Foreign Ministry and European Union on Sunday called for a lasting ceasefire in Idlib province as well as and an end to attacks on unarmed civilians by the Assad regime and its Russian ally.
“The humanitarian situation in Idlib is already catastrophic and is getting worse due to the fighting,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. “An immediate end to the attacks and a lasting ceasefire are needed.”
Maas explained that tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the Assad regime bombardment and that: “These people are forced to flee under harsh conditions in the winter.”
The Syrian National Coalition earlier called on the international community to take urgent, serious action to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib and the Assad regime and Russian onslaught on the province. It also called for an international coalition outside the UN Security Council which has been paralyzed by Russia’s repeated use of its veto power.
The European Union also joined calls for an end to shelling and airstrikes that have caused “countless civilian deaths.”
“The escalation of violence in the Northwest of Syria by the Syrian regime and its allies must cease,” the EU said in a statement by spokesperson for European Foreign Minister Josep Borrell.
Josep condemned the airstrikes, the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the roads they take to escape which killed and injured many civilians.
US President Donald Trump last week warned the Assad regime, Russia and Iran against continuing the carnage against civilians in Idlib as demanded that they stop attacks on civilians.
Since November 25, Idlib province has been subjected to ferocious onslaught by the Assad regime forces and Iranian militias with Russian aerial support. The bombing campaign has intensified since December 20, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians as well as displacing hundreds of thousands more from their homes. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
