"We want an end to the tragedy in Syria."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed concern over the ongoing conflict in Syria.
"We want an end to the tragedy in Syria," he said in a state of the nation address before the Parliament here on Thursday.
"Indonesia has urged the United Nations to introduce a new mandate, under Article 7 of the UN Charter, which will authorise the organization to stop the conflict in Syria without a transfer of political power in the country," he added.
The Syrian conflict, ongoing for 17 months, has reportedly claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has thrice failed to broker a ceasefire between the Syrian rebel forces and President Bashar Al-Assad.
The United States and some other Western countries have called for Assad to step down, applying both diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian government. They have also joined hands with some Arab countries in order to help the Syrian opposition.
However, Russia and China continue to insist that any proposed resolution on Syria should be balanced and not involve taking sides with either the government or the opposition. The two UN Security Council permanent members have also expressed opposition to external military intervention in Syria.
(T.G003/A051/INE/KR-BSR/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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