The Elders urge a renewed commitment to the peace process in Syria
<h3 class="post-title subpt">While The Elders welcome the outcome of the Syria Donor Conference in London, a determined and sustained effort to attain peace is the only way to protect the Syrian people. </h3><div class="quoteblock"><div class="quotetext">"Those responsible for the fighting should realise that that route will lead nowhere." Lakhdar Brahimi</div></div><p>International talks on Syria, held in London and Geneva over the past few days, have underlined the imperative need for all parties to the Syrian conflict to put the needs of the Syrian people first, The Elders said today.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="/sites/default/files/migrated3/syrian-child-refugee-raqqa-lebanon-unhcr.jpg"/><br /><em>3-year old child refugee from Raqqa, Syria playing in an informal settlement near Zahle in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. (Photo: UNHCR/Sam Tarling)</em></p>
<p><a href="http://theelders.org/kofi-annan" target="_blank"><strong>Kofi Annan</strong></a>, Chair of The Elders, said:</p>
<p><em>“</em><em style="font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;">I am encouraged by the outcome of the <strong><a href="https://www.supportingsyria2016.com/" target="_blank">London donor conference</a></strong>. The financial pledges made and the broad commitment to ensure children’s education and help create jobs for Syrian refugees living in the region is welcome. At the same time, we all know that only an immediate end to the conflict and an agreed political solution will staunch the bleeding.”</em></p>
<p>The Elders believe that a determined and sustained effort to attain peace is the only way to protect the people of Syria. They urge all parties to the conflict to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria as he seeks to secure a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://theelders.org/lakhdar-brahimi" target="_blank">Lakhdar Brahimi</a></strong>, member of The Elders and former UN Special Envoy for Syria, commented:</p>
<p><em>“</em><em style="font-size: 13.008px; line-height: 1.538em;">It’s time to put an immediate halt to all fighting. Far too many lives have already been lost or destroyed. Those responsible for the fighting should realise that that route will lead nowhere. If the latest peace talks convened by the Special Envoy are to have any chance of making progress, conditions on the ground must improve in the coming days and weeks.”</em></p>
<p>For media inquiries, please contact William French, Head of International Media at The Elders (+44 7795 693903) or Pallavi Singh, Media and Communications Officer at The Elders (+44 7795 292630) or email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>)</p>
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