Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League has said that the Syrian situation is tragic and represents an open wound in the heart of the Arab nation.
Aboul Gheit added that its humanitarian, strategic, and security dimensions cast shadows on the entire Arab region, especially in the East.
In press statements to mark the tenth anniversary of the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, he said, “The humanitarian tragedy of the crisis is, unfortunately, the most important [with] half of the country’s population actually between refugees and displaced, and about 2.4 million children are out of education.”
Aboul Gheit added that the Syrian economy is in a dire situation, bearing in mind that the humanitarian consequences of the refugee crisis cannot be borne by Syria alone.
He noted that a number of countries, including Arab countries, host millions of refugees, foremost among them Jordan and Lebanon, and the latter, in turn, suffers from pressing economic and political conditions.
“These humanitarian and economic consequences must lead all parties involved in the Syrian conflict to a sincere stand with themselves,” Aboul Gheit said.
He indicated that the interference of foreign parties in the Syrian conflict has prolonged the crisis. It has also meant that some parties have interests in seeing the conflict’s continuation at the expense of the Syrian people who are paying the price.
Aboul Gheit added that Syrian sovereignty is an important pillar in Arab national security, and suspending its membership in the Arab League is not a permanent status. It is, instead, necessary to think about how to help Syria in all aspects.
The Arab League Head stressed that freezing the situation on the ground in Syria is not a solution, because the current situation represents a continuous bleeding on all levels.
He called on the Syrian government and the civil opposition to transcend the thinking of victor and loser, because it is not possible to win a war at the expense of losing the homeland.
