It is vital that the Syrian population is guaranteed humanitarian aid, which means being given guarantees from the government, despite the criticisms regarding its actions.
This was the opinion given by Mgr. Michael Fitzgerald, Nuncio to Cairo and Observer of the Holy See to the Arab League, to Vatican Radio.
Mgr. Fitzgerald said this, taking stock of what was said during the recent Friends of Syria Conference in Tunis, which he attended.
“The Conference in Tunis – Mgr. Fitzgerald said – showed the world’s concern regarding the situation in Syria. What is evident is that the Syrian government was not present at the meeting: there were representatives of Syria’s National Council there – of the opposition that is – but no government representatives.”
“It was a meeting between friends of the Syrian people – the Nuncio said – and not of the current Syrian government. The conference concluded that much needed humanitarian aid needs to be guaranteed, due to the high number of victims; the Syrian State and government need to guarantee this and doctors, medicine and food need to be allowed into the Country in order to help the people.”
In terms of the various stances taken by members of the international community, regarding the Syrian crisis, Fitzgerald said that “neither Russia nor China were present” in Tunis. They both “vetoed the Security Council resolution, but in the UN general Assembly a huge majority condemned the Syrian government’s violent attitude towards the opposition.”
The Nuncio said that “The decision to send Kofi Anan as a special envoy to see if negotiations can take place is a very important step. So there is a willingness to negotiate; The Syrian Council says they are ready to negotiate with individuals that form part of the current government. It remains to be seen, therefore, which individuals the Council is referring to.”