Italy urges Syrian parties to stop hostilities in Idlib

ROME

Italy on Friday urged conflicting parties in Syria to cease hostilities in the northwestern province of Idlib.

"The fight against terrorist organizations cannot justify indiscriminate attacks against civil targets, schools and hospitals," the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

The statement stressed that hundreds of civilians had been killed with more than 500,000 fleeing their homes due to intensified clashes.

It also called on all the conflicting parties to allow for the arrival of humanitarian aid to people in need.

"No solution to the Syrian crisis can come from the military option," the statement said, adding that any resolution should be based on a "credible and inclusive political process."

It also urged for continued support for UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.

Idlib has been a stronghold of opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

It is currently home to some four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-weary country.

Despite a cease-fire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia in 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone, the Syrian regime and its allies have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, killing at least 1,300 civilians since the agreement.

*Writing by Burak Dag