MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2019) The foreign ministers of the so-called Small Group on Syria, comprising Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US, pledged to maintain Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty and called on the warring parties to stop hostilities in the country, a joint statement issued by the US Department of State said.
"We remain committed to upholding the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria and oppose forced demographic change," the statement released after the group's meeting in Washington on Thursday said.
In light of Turkey's offensive in northeastern Syria, launched on October 9 to clear out Kurdish militia, the ministers urged for a nationwide ceasefire to be implemented and for all military operations in area to stop.
"We also call for an immediate and genuine cessation of hostilities in Idlib, including an immediate halt to attacks against civilians. In addition, we stress the need to deal effectively with the terrorist threat emanating from Idlib and northwest Syria," the statement stressed.
The foreign ministers also called on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance for all Syrians with the support of UN agencies.
The Syrian political process started on October 29-30 with the first meeting of the 150-member Constitutional Committee in Geneva. Representation within the body is split equally three ways between the Syrian government, opposition and civil society.
