Damascus rejects idea of Ramadan ceasefire
Syrian ambassador tells UN his country needs a full, not partial end to the violence
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.