UN chief calls on warring Syrian parties to cease hostilities

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on the warring Syrian sides to immediately recommit to the cessation of hostilities in the wake of an escalation of fighting around Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

"The Secretary-General is profoundly concerned about the dangerous escalation of fighting in and around Aleppo and the intolerable suffering, counted in mounting deaths and destruction, it is causing among civilians," said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a daily briefing.

Violence has been reported to resume in Aleppo, when the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups unleashed repetitive large-scale attacks on Syrian military positions in southern Aleppo. The attacks were intensified by shelling on the government-controled parts of the city, as the rebels in eastern Aleppo were trying to advance into the western part of the city.

Syria announced temporary truce in Damascus and Lattakiya governorates. Ban stressed the need to expand the cessation of hostilities to Aleppo "with a special urgency," according to Dujarric.

The Syrian army announced Sunday extending its "regime of silence," or lull in fighting, near Damascus, the capital of Syria, for an additional 24 hours, while key players on the Syria issue are bustling in Geneva, Switzerland, for talks to salvage the cease-fire in the war-torn country.

Russia and the United States have reportedly agreed to enhance the cessation of hostilities deal in northern Latakia and the suburbs of Damascus.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rushed to Geneva Sunday in a bid to salvage the cease-fire in Syria, especially in Aleppo.

The UN chief also reiterated his call on Russia and the United States "to redouble their efforts in support of the Syrian parties to put the cessation of hostilities back on track," according to Dujarric.

The cessation of hostilities "constitutes a vital component of the overall process set up and sustained in Geneva by the International Syria Support Group, including the political transition process under the UN Special Envoy's leadership, Staffan de Mistura," he added.

Source: XINHUA