AlHijjah 5, 1434, Oct 10, 2013, SPA -- The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and the Secretary General of the Arab League Dr Nabil Al-Arabi issued today a joint appeal to the Syrian government and all the warring military parties in Syria to observe a total ceasefire and stop all forms of violence and fighting on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al-Adha. This is aimed at halting bloodshed among Syrians, mitigating their sufferings and allowing relief organizations to carry out their duties and provide urgent humanitarian assistance to affected places in the Syrian territory. Professor Ihsanoglu and Dr Al-Arabi stated that the announcement of such a truce by the warring parties would kindle hope among all Syrians for a comprehensive end to fighting and violence. It would also enable making use of the ongoing international efforts and momentum to arrange for convening the Geneva II conference as soon as possible and beginning to put the Syrian crisis on the path to being resolved peacefully, in line with the framework agreed upon at Geneva I on 30/6/2012. This is the only way out of the dark tunnel of this crisis so as to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people. Both Secretaries General called on all parties as well as active regional and international parties concerned with the crisis in Syria to support this joint appeal and make concerted efforts to urge all Syrian military and civilian partners to commit to announcing the truce and comprehensive ceasefire. The OIC and the Arab League also expressed hope that the warring Syrian parties would heed this ceasefire appeal during this blessed religious occasion.
