Damascus rejects idea of Ramadan ceasefire

Syrian ambassador tells UN his country needs a full, not partial end to the violence

A Syrian standing in the rubble of destroyed buildings from Syrian forces shelling, Syria, Thursday, June 27, 2013. (photo credit:AP/Lens Young Homsi)
A Syrian standing in the rubble of destroyed buildings from Syrian forces shelling, Syria, Thursday, June 27, 2013. (photo credit:AP/Lens Young Homsi)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria is rejecting the idea of a ceasefire with the rebel opposition during the holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin Tuesday.

Syria’s UN ambassador says “We need a full end of violence, not a partial one.”

Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari said Monday that the Syrian rebels would have to be fully engaged in the peace talks and commit to a US-Russian sponsored round of talks in Geneva.

He was responding to a report in The Independent newspaper quoting the new head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, as offering a Ramadan cease-fire.

The Syrian National Coalition said recently it will not attend the Geneva talks unless they are about President Bashar Assad handing over power.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.