Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with the Red Cross chief, in talks
focused on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria. (Reuters)
By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
told Red Cross chief Peter Maurer on Tuesday that he supports the work
of the humanitarian group in Syria so long as it remains “impartial.”
"President Assad assured the
president of the International Committee of the Red Cross that he
welcomed the humanitarian operations carried out by the committee on the
ground in Syria, as long as it remains impartial and independent," a
report said on Syrian state television.
Maurer, who heads the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was in Damascus on
Tuesday for talks with Assad and other officials on ways to deliver
humanitarian aid to Syrians caught up in the civil war, a spokeswoman
said.
The talks were believed to be
focused on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria and the
push for better access for aid workers.
Maurer held 45 minutes of talks
with the Syrian leader, International Committee of the Red Cross
spokesman Hicham Hassan said, without giving details of their
discussions.
The ICRC had earlier said
Maurer’s trip would tackle the “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian
situation” in Syria, where Assad has been trying to crush a 17-month-old
uprising against his rule, and the difficulties facing aid workers in
the country.
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