India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, R Ravindra on Tuesday (local time) raised concern over the situation in Syria and said on the security front that there is an urgent need for genuinely serious attempts towards a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire in Syria.
The envoy was addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the situation in the Middle East.
"Early convening of the next session of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee is important to maintain momentum in the talks. In order to ensure credible progress, all sides need to engage constructively and purposefully, with some sense of compromise," he said.
He further stated, "We support the proactive diplomacy of the Special Envoy to build momentum on the political track, including through the step-by-step process."
Ravindra highlighted that India has been consistent in calling for support to the regional efforts in finding a long-term solution to the conflict.
"The progressive normalization of Syria's relations with its Arab neighbours in recent months is an encouraging development. Also, welcome UAE's proactive engagement with Syria," he added.
He continued saying, "On the security front, there is an urgent need for genuinely serious attempts towards a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire in Syria. Towards this end, we believe that the withdrawal of foreign forces is essential to realize this objective."
Ravindra said that India has been repeatedly reiterating the looming threat posed by the resurgence of terrorist groups in Syria.
"UN-designated terrorist groups such as ISIL and Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham are gaining in strength not just in Syria, but in Iraq as well. The global fight against terrorism cannot and should not be compromised for narrow political gains," he said.
"There is considerable scope for expanding crossline operations and we welcome the recent operation in March. We continue to encourage OCHA and other UN agencies to expand efforts to enhance cross-line operations. There is a need to scale up humanitarian assistance and shore up donor support for Syria's humanitarian response plan of the UN," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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