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Russian wants int’l regional forces to help persuade Damascus and opposition to accept lull

The UN Security Council called on Syria’s conflicting parties to accept Lkhdar Brahimi’s plan and agree to a ceasefire during the holiday of Eid al-Adha

UNITED NATIONS, October 25 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia hopes that international and regional forces will exert influence on Syria’s government to have it agree to a ceasefire during the holiday of Eid al-Adha marked on October 26-28, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Wednesday.

According to Churkin, Russia is satisfied with a United Nations Security Council statement supporting the initiative to this effect proposed by United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.

“If there are opposition groups that are against Mt Brahimi’s initiative those who have influence on them, who supply them with weapons and invigorate them politically must change their attitudes. They must exert pressure on these groups to persuade them that it is high time to change the course, to stop violence in Syria and put an end to the crisis,” Churkin told journalists.

A provision to this effect, he noted was added to the United Nations Security Council’s statement at the very last moment. “It is a very important provision,” he stressed. When asked what should be done to prevent the Syrian conflict spreading across the region, the Russian diplomat said that the best way to do that is “to put an end to violence.”

On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council called on Syria’s conflicting parties to accept Lkhdar Brahimi’s plan and agree to a ceasefire during the holiday of Eid al-Adha marked on October 26-29. The United Nations Security Council said the lull must be used to offer help to the Syrians and called on the Syrian authorities to grant humanitarian organizations free access to the population.

“If combat operations and violence are suspended in Syria, it would be logical and necessary to use this lull to try to solve serious humanitarian problems facing the Syrian people,” he said.

Churkin once again stressed the importance of observing the Geneva communiqu· of the action group on Syria as a “consensus document.”

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