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Red Cross calls for daily cease-fire in Syria to allow aid delivery
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2012-02-22 11:02

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday urged the Syrian government and the opposition to stop fighting briefly everyday so that it can bring humanitarian aid into the violence-torn country.

"The current situation requires an immediate decision to implement a humanitarian pause in the fighting," said ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger in a statement.

He said the ICRC has been in touch with the Syrian authorities and members of the opposition to request a daily halt in the fighting.

Kellenberger said the cease-fire should last at least two hours every day so that "ICRC staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick."

Daily life has become increasingly difficult for many in the Arab country as government forces and armed rebels clash constantly and Western powers tighten sanctions on Syria.

Specific casualty figures from the months-long violence starting March remain unknown as the Syrian government and activist groups put on conflicting reports.

Since Feb. 11, humanitarian aid teams have managed to enter the cities of Homs, Bludan, Al Zabadani and Madaya to provide assistance for inflicted civilians.

The United States voiced support for the call of daily cease-fire in Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will head to Tunisia for a meeting of "Friends of Syria" scheduled for Friday and Saturday, said the U.S. State Department.

The meeting will gather high-ranking officials and senior diplomats from Western and Arab nations.

Though an active player in brokering a dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russia said it will not participate in the "Friends of Syria" meeting.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandr Lukashevich said the country had received invitation to the meeting, but had not been informed of the agenda of the meeting.

"The real aim of the meeting is not clear. According to reports, the separate opposition groups have been invited to Tunisia but no representatives of the Syrian government. That means, the interests of the majority of the Syrian population which supports the authorities, will not be represented," Lukashevich said.

He also said Moscow had an impression that the "Friends of Syria" meeting resembles "the Libya Contact Group," which had the aim to support only one side of an internal conflict.

In another related development, Martin Nesirky, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the UN chief has been working with a number of individuals including Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El-Araby to decide on the appointment of a special envoy to Syria.

The Syrian government has blamed the unrest in Syria on plots by terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs and said more than 2,000 army and security personnel were killed during the past months, while the United Nations put the death toll in the Syrian unrest at around 6,000.

Related:

U.S. supports brief ceasefire in Syria for aid delivery

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday voiced support for a daily brief ceasefire in Syria to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Noting Washington is "very concerned" about the humanitarian situation in Syria, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "We support calls for ceasefires to allow for the provision of humanitarian supplies to Syrians who desperately need it."Full story

Russia offers to send UN aid envoy to Syria

MOSCOW, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia is ready to send an envoy to Syria tasked with coordinating UN humanitarian aid delivery to the unrest-hit country, Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

"After stopping violence, it will be possible to provide humanitarian aid urgently for all who need it. We suggest the UN Security Council instruct the UN secretary general to sent over to Syria an envoy to agree on security and delivery of humanitarian aid," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandr Lukashevich said.Full story

Source:Xinhua 
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