Ribal Al-Assad welcomes statement on Syria by Canada
Saturday, 4 May 2013
The Commonwealth of Canada issued a statement today on the situation in Syria through Andrew Bennett, Canada's Ambassador for Religious Freedom saying:
“Canada condemns the ongoing violence in Syria in light of the rise in attacks on religious groups over the last few weeks.
“The Syrian people have a strong culture of acceptance and coexistence that is at odds with recent attacks singling out individual groups.
“Massacres in towns largely inhabited by one religious group, desecration of holy sites belonging to others, and targeting of religious figures are all abhorrent actions that seek to drive a wedge between the different communities that make up Syria.
“We call upon all parties to the conflict to seek to protect all civilians, community leaders, and holy sites in order to avoid pushing the country into a sectarian war that will cause permanent rifts among Syrians.”
Commenting on the statement, Director of ODFS, Ribal Al-Assad, said:
"I welcome the comments made by Andrew Bennett on behalf of Canada, the situation in Syria is serious and deteriorating rapidly – the international community has an important part to play in promoting dialogue in the region and diffusing tensions. I call on all nations, to follow Canada’s suit and condemn the ongoing sectarian violence”