Pretoria - The South African Government has welcomed the entering into effect of the ceasefire arrangement in Syria, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said on Saturday.
"The Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Ebrahim Ebrahim noted that the situation in Syria remains fragile and reiterated South Africa's call for all sides to the conflict to fully implement their commitments under the 6-point plan of the Joint Special Envoy (JSE) of the United Nations and the Arab League, Mr Kofi Annan.
"The Deputy Minister reiterated South Africa's support for the call made by the JSE regarding the urgent deployment of a UN Observer Mission to verify and monitor the ceasefire. In doing so, the Deputy Minister, called on all sides to the conflict to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of such a mission, once deployed," said the department.
South Africa, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, is participating in discussions on a resolution authorising the deployment of the UN Advanced Monitoring team.
South Africa's approach is that the Security Council's should adopt a balanced resolution providing the necessary support for the Joint Special Envoy's efforts, said the department.
Ebrahim reiterated South Africa's strong support for the efforts of the Joint Special Envoy, which has the ultimate aim of committing all sides to peaceful dialogue in order to promote an all-inclusive process of negotiations, free of any form of violence or intimidation, leading to a political outcome that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
