UN: Syria Crisis Escalating, might Explode to ME

Local Editor

The United Nations warned Friday that "the crisis in Syria is accelerating at an unprecedented pace unseen in recent years."

The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said at a news conference that "two years after the beginning of the Syria crisis, we are witnessing the staggering escalation of the conflict that is accelerating the crisis in a way that is unprecedented in recent decades."

Guterres, who kicked off a two-day visit to Lebanon Thursday, also voiced alarm about the disparity between the needs of those suffering as a result of conflict across the border and the resources available to assist them.

"There is a widening gap between the needs of the people suffering the impact of the Syrian crisis and the resources available to support [them]," he said, and noted that "this is why I appeal to all governments and parliaments to approve extraordinary funds."
"The Syrian crisis is not just another crisis, and what we are dealing with now is that the Syrian crisis is a tipping point," he told reporters.

"Things get much worse before they get better. Not only do they get much worse in Syria, but they can have a very, very big impact on the countries around."
In parallel, Guterres urged the international community to step up its efforts to help solve the conflict and to provide assistance to people affected by the humanitarian crisis.
It is "not only a moral obligation" to step up international assistance, but also "something that is essential to preserve global peace and global security", he said.
"I think it is in the interest of everybody to solve the conflict, to have a political solution to the conflict, but it is also in the interest of everybody to fully address the humanitarian needs."

Earlier, French President Francois Hollande urged Europe's leaders to lift an arms embargo on Syria to help rebels.
He spoke as London and Paris sought jointly to lift the embargo to enable them to arm the rebels.
Arriving in Brussels for a two-day summit with EU leaders, Hollande told journalists: "We want Europeans to lift the arms embargo.""We are ready to support the rebellion, so we are ready to go this far. We must take our responsibilities."

Hollande said France "must convince its European partners" to tip the balance by ending the embargo, although the issue was not on the agenda for the Brussels summit.
"We cannot allow a people to be massacred by a regime that for now does not want a political transition," he claimed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org