ASIA/SYRIA - "Geneva 2" Conference: the World Council of Churches calls for an immediate truce
Geneva – In the Syrian conflict "there is no military solution"; "an immediate cessation of all hostilities and armed clashes on the Syrian territory" is urgent; humanitarian assistance must be ensured; the right way is to "develop a comprehensive and inclusive process for the establishment of peace and rebuild Syria": are the recommendations by the World Council of Churches , which gathered about 30 religious leaders in Geneva, in view of the "Geneva 2" Conference, scheduled on January 22.
The Council has drawn up a document - sent to Fides Agency - to be delivered to the UN envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, to the Arab League and to others present at the conference."There is no time to waste: too many people have died or have had to leave their home", explained Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general Secretary of the WCC, presenting the text and explaining that "Churches speak with one voice": leaders of the Church of the Middle East, the Vatican, Russia, United States, other European countries belonging to Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican denominations participated in the drafting of the document.
"We are the silent majority of Syrians who want peace", stated the Catholic Aram I, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, ensuring political leaders "the full support of all the Churches for your crucial mission".The WCC believes that "the churches can mobilize international opinion condemning everything that is wrong in this situation and arguing that the supreme good is peace".
The meeting of the WCC was accompanied by an ecumenical prayer to express solidarity with the people of Syria and to ask God for the gift of reconciliation.
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The Vatican: We hope Geneva 2 conference will guarantee Syria's safety
President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in the Vatican, Cardinal Robert Sarah, expressed his hope that the international Geneva 2 conference on Syria will come out with guarantees to secure the safety and territorial integrity of Syria.
"The church hopes the international conference due to be held in Geneva on January 22nd will guarantee the Syrian territorial integrity with the belief that there is room for everybody in Syria, particularly for the Christians," the Cardinal said in statements to the Italian daily, L'Osservatore Romano.
He noted that the Vatican has been since the beginning following closely on the developments of the crisis in Syria and working to provide humanitarian aid and bringing peace to the country.
The Cardinal also voiced hope that all parties in Syria allow, for the public interest and a soon as possible, ending all acts of violence for the sake of enduring peace in the country.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for international efforts to establish peace in Syria.
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Kerry confers Syria with Vatican before "Geneva-2"
Kerry confers Syria with Vatican before "Geneva-2"
7 days ago
News / Syrian Crisis
The Vatican urged an unconditional ceasefire in Syria and the involvement of all regional players including Iran in peace talks starting next week, as U.S Secretary of State "John Kerry" visited the Holy See on Tuesday.
Kerry said after meeting with Pope Francis's right-hand man "Pietro Parolin" that the U.S welcomed Vatican support for the Geneva-2 talks due to begin on January 22.
Kerry told reporters at the U.S embassy that "It is very important support and I know that the pope is particularly concerned about the massive numbers of displaced human beings and violence that has taken over 130,000 lives".
A Vatican statement following a workshop on Syria on Monday said the Holy See was ready to support all religious communities in the country towards reconciliation and said the recent interim deal over Iran's nuclear programme could have a positive effect.
It said "to build the basis for regional peace, Geneva-2 needs to ensure inclusive participation of all parties to this conflict, within the region and beyond", noting that " the deal with Iran creates a vital foundation for a lasting peace in Syria and "gives the world great hope that an extended period of grave distrust between Iran and other nations in the region and beyond might now be followed by a new era of trust and even cooperation".
"The first and most urgent step... should be an immediate ceasefire and end to violence of all kinds, an end without political preconditions", the Vatican said, echoing a joint call by Moscow and Washington on Monday for local ceasefires and humanitarian corridors.
It said "all internal combatants should put down their weapons. All foreign powers should take immediate steps to stop the flow of arms and arms funding that feed the escalation of violence and destruction".
Kerry said Parolin had also asked for a briefing on the status of the Middle East peace process following the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks and ahead of the pope's own visit to the region in May.
Kerry said "obviously there are issues of enormous concerns to the Holy See not just about peace but also about the freedom of access for religious worship in Jerusalem for all religions", adding "I think that our efforts over the last days could be augmented by the efforts of the Holy See with respect to trying to end the violence and bring about a peaceful resolution".
Kerry said he had also discussed possible Vatican involvement in efforts to restore stability in South Sudan.
U.S State Department spokeswoman "Jennifer Psaki" meanwhile denied a report in the BBC and the Guardian newspaper that Britain and the United States have told the Syrian opposition that they will stop their support if it fails to send a delegation to Geneva-2.
she said that Kerry "didn't indicate that the United States was planning to cut off assistance to the opposition in his public or private pronouncements".
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