South Africa wants Syrians to lead efforts for conflict solution

The South African government said on Thursday that the solution to the on-going conflict in Syria must be Syrian-led. A political solution must be reflective of the Syrian people's will and aspirations and protect the inalienable rights of the people of Syria, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRC) said in a media statement. The only hope for the Syrian people lies in the willingness of all the parties to the conflict to immediately put an end to the violence and start engaging each other constructively with the aim of reaching an agreement on a political transition based on the Geneva Communique of June 2012," the DIRC said. It urged the International Community to play a constructive complementary role towards the genuine pursuit of durable peace in Syria and the region as a whole. The parties involved in the conflict should use the opportunity presented by the proposed international conference to be held in Geneva soon, to start a process of genuine negotiations without preconditions, said the DIRC. "While recognizing that the Government of Syria has the greater responsibility for the protection of civilians and that it should stop the use of indiscriminate force against its people, it is important for the international community to respond to the atrocities committed by rebel and sectarian groups as well," the DIRC said. South Africa, the DIRC said, is gravely concerned that the increased supply of weapons to the parties has entrenched the false notion that a military solution is possible, when in fact there is no military solution to this crisis. "If this continues, then it is ultimately the people of Syria who will pay the price, whilst those supplying weapons live in safety far away from the crisis." The DIRC voiced concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Syria as a result of the conflict which has been raging for well over two years with devastating humanitarian consequences in terms of massive loss of life of innocent people and the accompanying wanton destruction of both property and resources. The situation in Syria lends itself to one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times with severe consequences for the entire region, the DIRC said. "South Africa conveys its deepest sympathy to the Syrian people, in particular, innocent families who have been on the receiving end of the on-going violence and some of whom had to flee to neighboring countries as refugees."