UN deputy chief expects cease-fire in Syria to take place

A senior United Nations official expressed hope on Thursday that all sides in the Syrian conflict could agree to a cease-fire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha proposed by UN-Arab League joint special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. "I very much hope that the parties will seize this opportunity to reduce the level of violence and create a climate in which political progress can be made," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. He also called the Security Council and countries in the region to exert influence on the parties to agree to the cease-fire and encourage the political process forward. However, he said there were no guarantees that the possible cease-fire would hold, as it would build on trusts that both sides will cease the fighting, while the mandate of UN observers' mandate has expired some time ago. He expressed hope that both sides realize the importance of a pause in the fighting that has been raging for 19 months.. He said there are huge humanitarian problems in Syria which could become even worse. "I hope we will not see this nightmare continue to 2013," Eliasson said, adding that this was not only dangerous for Syrian people, but also for the region and the world.