Trip will be Syrian leader's first to Beijing since outbreak of his country's civil war 12 years ago; China could play major role in future reconstruction
Eight Security Council nations say it's "imperative" that the U.N. body "immediately pursue decisive action" to achieve a cease-fire in Syria if U.N. member states, especially Russia and its ally Syria, don't implement a resolution demanding a cessation of hostilities.
A letter sent to all 15 council members on Monday expresses "profound concern" about the lack of implementation of the Feb. 24 resolution demanding a cease-fire throughout Syria without delay to deliver humanitarian aid and evacuate the critically ill and wounded.
It singles out Russia and Syria as key to implementation.
The letter was signed by France, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands.
It says that implementing the resolution "could immediately save hundreds, if not thousands, of children, women and men who have suffered acutely during the past eight years of the brutal confli
MoA - September 2015 moonofalabama.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from moonofalabama.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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When I was the American ambassador in Syria ten years ago, I often walked after work to a local shop selling laham bi-ajeen to take to my residence for dinner. I would pass coffee shops and commercial stores where people were watching on television the events in Egypt and later the events in Libya and Yemen. We learned the evening of February 17 about the peaceful demonstration that day at the Hareeqah district in downtown Damascus three kilometers from our embassy; a Syrian told us where to find information about it on social media. Similarly, we learned about the events in Daraa from Syrian friends who told us how to find the information on Facebook, and we watched the news networks in those first days like Syrians. As I look back it is obvious that we were always running to catch up to events in Syria.