Syria crisis 'complicated' amid incessant violence
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E-mail Xinhua, March 15, 2012
A Syrian diplomat said Wednesday the one-year old domestic crisis is "complicated" as violence went on in some Syrian cities.
The recent visit to Syria by the joint special envoy of the UN and the Arab League (AL) Kofi Annan, did not carry the solution to the Syrian crisis, Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said, noting that the domestic upheaval is "complicated."
He stressed that the solution should be a Syrian one and not imported, adding that Annan presented Syrian President Bashar al- Assad proposals in the form of a non-paper "and we have studied them for 48 hours and sent back a non-paper as our reply."
"The (government) response was positive and clarifying," he said, underlining two headlines: the cessation of violence and humanitarian aid.
"We are fully committed to making Mr. Annan's visit a success and positively engaging with him," Makdissi said. "We, as Syrians, are keen to make it a success."
Talking about halting violence, Makdissi said that "the answer to this issue couldn't be yes or no," differentiating people with just demands from those who use peaceful demonstrations to achieve other goals.
Meanwhile, Makdissi stressed that the efforts toward peace need the participation of all other parties, saying that "Annan should take into consideration that violence is mutual and not from one party and that the Syrian army is in a state of self-defense and does not attack."
The violence by the armed groups are "unjustified," he said.
Makdissi added the armament of those groups is incompatible with Annan's mission and whoever calls for armament is hindering Annan's mission.
The spokesman noted that the solution to the year-long deadly Syrian crisis is "purely political" and rejected foreign interference.
He urged the West and the United States to decrease pressure and give a chance to the political process. "The solution is not in their hands," he said.
Makdissi also said "there is a Syrian commitment at the highest level to give an access to (humanitarian) aids ..." if Syria's national sovereignty is respected.
Aside from diplomacy efforts, the country's specialized authorities in central Syria arrested a number of "terrorists" who had committed the "appalling and brutal massacre" against the Karm al-Zaytoun residents three days ago, according to state-run SANA news agency.
Syrian information minister said Monday that armed terrorist groups committed a most "atrocious massacre" against women, children and elderly citizens in Karm al-Zaytoun neighborhood and mutilated their bodies in order to put pressure to elicit international stances against Syria. At least 45 people were killed in the massacre.
On Tuesday, Syrian civil defense forces retrieved the bodies of 14 unidentified people dumped in two drainage ditches in Ashira neighborhood in the violence-battered Homs.
The Syrian government has accused some Arab and Western countries of providing weapons and financial support to the armed groups in Syria. It said in December 2011 that "armed terrorist groups" had killed more than 2,000 army and security personnel during the unrest.
The United Nations said recently that more than 7,500 people died in Syria's violence. In Geneva, the UN refugee agency said 230,000 Syrians have fled their homes since the beginning of domestic violence in Syria last year.
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