Syrian rebels reject truce offer; bishop blames Western suppliers
March 04, 2015
After Syrian rebels fighting to oust the Assad regime rejected a UN proposal for a humanitarian truce, Bishop Georges Abou Khazen of Aleppo told the Fides news service that the country’s bloody civil war will apparently continue for as long as foreign countries continue to arm the fighters.
The UN had proposed a six-week halt to fighting in the region around Aleppo, and the Assad government had accepted the suggestion. But rebel groups—including those armed by the US and other Western powers—said that they would not accept a truce unless President Bashar al-Assad agreed to step down.
Bishop Abou Khazen pointed out that the US and Turkey have recently agreed to provide support and training for rebels over a three-year period. “So for them the war will last another three years, and the people here will continue to suffer and die for another three years,” he said.
"Like St. Paul, we hope against hope,” the bishop said.
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