EU urges implementation of cease-fire in Syria at once

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS

The EU foreign policy chief on Monday urged implementation of the UN's new Syria cease-fire resolution.

Federica Mogherini said the peace process guarantor countries -- including Turkey -- should work together to implement the cease-fire process.

“I will send a letter today to the foreign ministers of three guarantors of the Astana process -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran -- and ask them … to work for the implementation of UN Council resolution, in particular for the implementation of de-escalation zones that were decided in Astana and for which they have a role to play,” she said.

The UN Security Council on Saturday passed a resolution calling for a 30-day cease-fire in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries.

The resolution came as regime forces intensified attacks on Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb, in recent days, killing 389 people in the past six days, according to the White Helmets.

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011, when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity. According to UN officials, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.