(AhlulBayt News Agency) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said no options could be taken off the table ahead of talks on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Syria.
Merkel said she and French President Francois Hollande would discuss Syria with Putin after they meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace plan to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine - a meeting from which she said no wonders could be expected.
Turning to what she said was a disastrous humanitarian crisis in Syria, Merkel added: "Given this situation, I believe no option - including that of sanctions - can be taken off the table."
"But the priority must first be to relieve the pain of the people. That will be an issue tomorrow. There again, no wonders are to be expected," Merkel told a news conference after meeting Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela.
The German chancellor further cautioned against expecting "miracles,” adding, however, that “talking is always necessary, even when opinions are a long way apart."
Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. Moscow has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Damascus government’s request since last September.
/257
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said no options could be taken off the table ahead of talks on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Syria.
19 October 2016 - 12:00
News ID: 786492
