Olusegun Ariyo
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said her country will ease sanctions on Syria and provide 84 million dollars (59 million U.S. dollars) in new funding for humanitarian assistance.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said no fewer than 1,500 people have been killed in outbreaks of violence in Syria this month, including at least 1,068 civilians.
Joly said Canada had expressed its deep concern about the egregious violence that had occurred.
“We utterly condemn these atrocities and call on the interim authorities to take all necessary measures to end the violence.
“Civilians must be protected, the dignity and human rights of all religious and ethnic groups must be upheld, and perpetrators must be held accountable.’’
“An agreement between the interim authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces is a potential step toward greater stability and improved conditions’’ for Syrians. However, meaningful implementation will be key to ensuring lasting progress,” Joly said.
According to her, Canada would ease existing sanctions for six months, to support democratisation, stabilisation and the delivery of aid to and within Syria, adding that Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon, Stefanie McCollum, had been nominated to serve concurrently as non-resident ambassador to Syria
“We call on all parties to prioritise the work toward de-escalation and national reconciliation and prevent the country from descending into fragmentation and violence,’’ she added.
Clashes reportedly erupted in Syria after government forces were targeted in a string of attacks and ambushes blamed on long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad’s armed supporters.
It was gathered that the conflict is Syria’s deadliest since an Islamist-led rebel alliance deposed al-Assad and took power in December.
