Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations has urged the international community to forge an enduring peace for Syria. As the conflict in the Middle Eastern nation reached its sixth anniversary in March, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic told a sitting of the UN in Geneva that “six years of ongoing conflict indicate the failure of the international community at large”.
“The situation in Syria is our common responsibility as a family of nations,” the archbishop stressed. “The rights of the Syrian people, regardless of their religious or ethnic identity, must be protected as all Syrians share the just aspirations to justice and peace, fundamental elements of integral human development. In this regard, it is of the utmost importance that religious and ethnic minorities do not become the pawns of geopolitical trade-offs, but be fully involved in a transparent and inclusive negotiating process, with equal rights and equal responsibilities, as this is the only way to build a peaceful future,” Archbishop Jurkovic said.
“The Holy See wishes to reiterate its solidarity with the Syrian people and especially with the victims of violence, and encourages the international community to embrace the perspective of victims. Six years of senseless slaughter expose once again the illusion, and the futility, of war as a means to settle disputes.”