February 23, 2018•Update: February 24, 2018
By Ayse Yildiz
ANTALYA, Turkey
Blasting the large number of civilian deaths from Assad regime airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta, Syria as "unacceptable," Turkey’s foreign minister on Friday gave support to a UN cease-fire proposal.
"Since the clashes began, tens of thousands of people have died in the Eastern Ghouta region alone. Enough already! These people should not die," Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.
"We have also started the political process. For the political process to go through sturdily and uninterruptedly, there must be a cease-fire on the ground," he added.
On a UN Security Council proposal calling for a one-month humanitarian cease-fire in the besieged Damascus suburb, Cavusoglu said this proposal would exclude terrorist groups such as "Daesh, the YPG, PKK, and other terrorist organizations,” adding: "Therefore, we find this proposal appropriate."
"Russia should also be sensitive about the cease-fire, but as a guarantor, every country has to assume more responsibility," Cavusoglu said.
Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor in the Astana, Kazakhstan peace process for Syria.
On Thursday, Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said Russia would not support the UN proposal without some changes, calling it “unrealistic.”
Home to some 400,000 people, Eastern Ghouta has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years, bringing it to the verge of humanitarian catastrophe.
In the past eight months, Assad regime forces have intensified their siege, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to get into the district and leaving thousands of patients in need of treatment.
Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
According to UN officials, to date hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
