UNITED NATIONS, August 18 (Itar-Tass) — Syrian President Bashar Assad said that “military and police operations are over”. He made this statement on Wednesday in a phone talk with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
According to the UN press service, the secretary-general “expressed concern over the latest reports on continued large-scale violations of human rights and excessive use of force by Syrian security services against civilians all over Syria, including the Al-Ramel district in the city of Latakia where several thousands of Palestinian refugees live.
The report says that the secretary-general emphasised all military operations and mass arrests should be immediately stopped. Assad said that military and police operations had been stopped.
According to the UN press service, Ban Ki-moon also called on President Assad to start trust-evoking and peaceful process of reforms to carry out all-embracing changes. In response, the Syrian president listed reforms he intends to make over the next few months, including a review of the Constitution and parliamentary elections.
In this connection, the UN secretary-general pointed to the need for the earliest implementation of reforms, precluding a new interference by the military.
The secretary-general expressed gratitude to Syrian authorities for agreement to receive a UN mission to assess the humanitarian situation. The Syrian president said that the mission would get an access to various places in Syria, the press release says.