MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The political process in Syria must be inclusive, with every citizen feeling a sense of protection, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in an interview with TASS.
"The needs in Syria are huge right now. Just because there is a more positive political moment, it doesn't mean that those humanitarian needs have gone away," the UN official said when asked about his take on current conditions in Syria. Fletcher shared that he "spent a week in Syria back in December, traveling up and down the country." "I went through Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Idlib, seeing the situation on the ground and hearing from people how desperate the situation is. People do want to go home, they want to rebuild their lives, but to do that they've got to feel that there is security, they've got to feel there is a chance of economic development, electricity, a chance to rebuild their livelihoods. They need to know that a lot of that unexploded munition will be cleared away," he emphasized.
"But there is that hope. There is a moment of hope that that would be possible. And I think we have to be behind the Syrian people. It's really important, as I said to the authorities in Damascus, the new authorities, that there is an inclusive political process, that women feel part of Syria's future, that everyone in Syria feels that they are protected by the emerging administration. I really hope it works," Fletcher continued.
"I've been working on Syria for years. It's been through a terrible, terrible period. I met so many people who've come out of those prisons, who've been tortured, who've lost everything. And for their sake, we need to support Syria right now. Support the Syrian people," Fletcher concluded.