Syria: The Foreign Ministry expresses utmost concern for the situation in East Aleppo

The Foreign Ministry expresses utmost concern for the situation in East Aleppo and reaffirms the imperative of protecting the civilian population and of respecting international humanitarian law. In recalling that also the Holy Father underscored the fact that Aleppo is above all a city inhabited by thousands of innocent civilians, the Ministry calls on the responsibility of the Syrian regime and of its supporters to end the violence and honour the obligations that derive from international law and the Geneva Conventions, including the ban on summary executions and arbitrary arrests. Today this necessity and the urgency of remedying the humanitarian situation were also emphasised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Italy asks that UN and ICRC humanitarian aid be immediately given full access to the whole area of East Aleppo to provide assistance and protection to the population.