Syria's FM stresses keenness to make humanitarian work successful

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem stressed Sunday his government's keenness to help the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) succeed in delivering aid to those affected by the Syrian crisis, according to the state-run SANA news agency. Al-Moallem made the remarks during his meeting with the visiting president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, who arrived in Syria Friday on a three-day visit to discuss with Syrian official the possibility of broader access to the ICRC to besieged areas. During his meeting Sunday, al-Moallem discussed the existing cooperation between the ICRC and the Syrian government as well as the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). He reiterated the government's keenness to help the ICRC succeed in delivering aid to all worthy people despite the obstacles hindering this process posed by "the armed terrorist groups," said SANA. According to the report, Maurer lauded the existing cooperation between his organization and the Syrian government and SARC. He welcomed Syria's determination to speed up the measures pertaining to the ICRC's work and provide all possible facilitation to make its mission a success. Maurer stressed his endeavor to coordinate with the Syrian authorities and with SARC in efforts to enhance the humanitarian situation in Syria and overcome obstacles on ground. Damascus is witnessing a flurry of aid meetings attended by top UN officials. On Saturday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos arrived in Syria, a day after the arrival of Maurer. Sources told Xinhua that both Amos and Maurer visited displacement centers in Damascus' suburb of Jaramana and Seihnaya on Saturday. Last week, the director of the World Food Program Ertharin Cousin also visited Syria and held talks with top officials, including Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. Al-Halqi reiterated recently his government's commitment to delivering humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict, adding that the government has been working to bolster the economy devastated by the three-year-old crisis. To date, more than 100,000 people have been killed in the crisis, and hundreds are joining every day the millions internally displaced or seeking refuge abroad.