(Brussels) A debate on the situation in Syria is taking place before the Melkite Greek archbishop of Aleppo, Jean-Clément Jeanbart, on opening the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels. Commissioner Christos Stylianides painted a picture of the situation, after the speech of the president of the EU Assembly, Antonio Tajani, who had met the archbishop in the morning. “All the parties concerned must take responsibility”, Tajani said.

“Nothing can justify violence, killings or ethnic cleansing. I firmly condemn any form of violence, including the sexual abuse that turned out to have been committed by those”, UN and NGOs, “who should have distributed food aids”. “Syrians are entitled to live in peace, free and safe, in their country, with their mosques and their churches”.
“On behalf of the European Parliament, I would like to make – Tajani had said in the morning – an appeal, that the resolution of the UN Security Council passed on February 24th may be enforced soon. Humanitarian corridors are not enough. There is an urgent need for a lasting ceasefire to protect civilians, evacuate injured and sick people, and make sure the aids can be distributed”. The second conference on Syria, due to take place in Brussels on April 24th and 25th this year, “should not be limited to making statements. It must lead to effective political and humanitarian solutions”.