Pope francis calls for adopting political solution to Syria crisis

Pope of the Vatican Francis called on the European Union to work for reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria through dialogue. Italian News Agency (AKI), in a statement issued by the Apostolic See, quoted the Pope as saying, "We need to guarantee peace in the Middle-East, particularly in Syria." Earlier, during a meeting with a number of the Bishops in Vatican, Pope Francis had said, "We all pray to God for Peace in Syria, the Middle-East and entire world," the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Meanwhile, world council of churches called on all Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches to pressure their governments to support a political solution to the crisis in Syria. In a statement, the council said, "Churches should continue raising voices among their followers and at governments to achieve the best interest for the humanity." The council asked the UN Security Council (UNSC) to set a time for peace talks and take procedures to halt the violence in Syria, in addition to working for the stop of foreign gunmen's flow to Syria. The council added that there is a consensus among the Christians around the world to achieve peace in Syria through dialogue, pointing out that a number of the Anglicans who supported military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan reject any military aggression on Syria. The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the Syrian government of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21. Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the chemical attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.