Ban reminds Al-Mualem people killed in Syria are Syrians, appeals for compassion - Kuwait News Agency

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 1 (KUNA) -- Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday reminded Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mualem that the people being killed in Syria are Syrians, and appealed for compassion.
Ban's press office put out a statement following Ban's meeting with Al-Mualem saying the UN Chief raised in the "strongest terms" the continued killings, massive destruction, human rights abuses, and aerial and artillery attacks committed by the Government.
"He stressed that it was the Syrian people who were being killed everyday, and appealed to the Government of Syria to show compassion to its own people," the statement said.
He noted that reduction of violence could prepare the Government for a political process, and expressed "deep frustration" that, after 19 months of repression and fighting, the situation was "still getting worse".
Both officials also discussed the growing humanitarian crisis inside Syria, and which was spilling over into neighbouring countries to an "alarming degree".
Addressing the General Assembly in its annual general debate hours later, Al-Mualem rehashed the government's rhetoric that it is the victim and that foreign forces are manipulating the "terrorist" groups to destabilize his country.
Downplaying the role of the Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi to find a solution to the crisis in the country, Al-Mualem told the Assembly "we still believe in a political solution as an essential way to exit out of the crisis".
First, he said, "I call on all parties and political groups, inside and outside Syria, to a constructive dialogue under the umbrella of the homeland".
"The doors of Syria, as is its heart, are open to anyone who wants construction and dialogue. To achieve this, I call on all countries ... to exert pressure to end the violence in my county through ending of arming, financing, harbouring and training of terrorist groups," he urged.
"I say to those countries enough illusions, and I invite the national opposition to work together to stop the shedding of Syrian blood, and to sit at the dialogue table and participate in the making of the present and the future of Syria," he urged.
Second, he added, "the results of this national dialogue, after agreement by all parties, will be the map and the future way of the country in establishing a more pluralistic and democratic Syria".
He indicated that the success of any international effort "requires, in addition to the commitment of the Syrian government, committing the states supporting armed groups in my country, particularly Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya and others, to stop arming, funding, training and harbouring armed terrorist groups, and instead to encourage dialogue and renounce violence". (end) sj.bs KUNA 012016 Oct 12NNNN