“The announcement of an imminent offensive to retake Aleppo with the support of its allies, who did not deny [the statement], made by Syrian regime on April 28, is very worrying,” the minister said.
He added that lack of significant improvement of the situation on the ground does not allow the opposition to return to the Geneva peace talks noting that Syria witnessed death of over 200 civilians as well as serious violations of the humanitarian law this week.
“I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in the Aleppo province that is a serious threat to maintaining cessation of hostilities and continuing the political process as recalled by Staffan de Mistura [Special UN Envoy for Syria] to the [UN] Security Council on April 27,” the statement read.
Ayrault called for mobilization of the international community to exert pressure on the Syrian government so that it respects the ceasefire and agrees to implement political transition.
