An urgent appeal to "stop the war in Syria and reopen the negotiations" was addressed to the G20 leaders who gather tomorrow in St. Petersburg by Prof. Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. In the message, delivered to the ambassadors in Rome the concerned governments, remember the dramatic figures of the ongoing conflict: more than a hundred thousand dead, four million people displaced, two million refugees in the Lebanon, a country that is likely to be overwhelmed by the emergency humanitarian . "The war in Syria - says the appeal - asking the international community" and "represents a political and humanitarian crisis that threatens the stability of the entire Middle East and beyond."

"On behalf of the Comunity of Sant'Egidio - continues the appeal of Andrea Riccardi - armed with a long experience of dialogue and commitment to work for peace, we believe it is necessary to take decisive action to push all the players on the road who lead to a negotiated solution." This "does not express weakness, but political audacity." In the knowledge that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis, the international community must act to impose an immediate ceasefire and a truce that "will bring the parties to talk to each other, both Syrian and their respective allies."

The call ends with an invitation to put the issue on the agenda of the G20 "before all be swept up in a worse crisis "

Document Appeal (ITA)

Document Appeal (ENG)