Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi has been selected to takeover the Arab League and United Nations envoy to Syria position. Former Secretary General Kofi Annan resigned from the post earlier in August., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
brussels bureau
Syrian crisis resembles Somalia civil war, says UN envoy Brahimi
11/03 18:17 CET
UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has told EU foreign ministers to do all they can to bring about an end to the conflict in Syria.
Speaking after a meeting with the 27 countries’ top diplomats, Brahimi said Syria would risk a long-drawn civil war without a solution soon.
“As I’ve said several times, the Syrian crisis has to be solved through a political compromise, as the situation resembles closely — and perhaps even more than — to that of Somalia a few years ago,” he told reporters in Brussels.
As Brahimi left the meeting, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the European Union needs to review its decision to impose a weapons embargo on the Syrian opposition.
“This question of an (arms) embargo which was raised a few weeks ago has to be raised again quickly, as we cannot allow this imbalance (between the two sides) which is leading to the massacre of an entire people,” Fabius said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton stressed that any resolution of the Syrian crisis should be based on a political solution.
“It is a terrible terrible situation and it’s of enormous concern to everybody not only at this EU foreign affairs council, but I think to every country across the world to try and find a way through this, but in the end I think it’s going to have to be a political solution,” she said.
The UN estimates that as many as 70,000 people have died in the conflict over the past two years.
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