Need to set aside differences for durable peace in Syria - Zahid

Stakeholders in the Syrian conflict need to rise above their differences and strive towards long-lasting peace in the strife-torn country, says Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said having differences in such a situation were to be expected but what was more important was obtaining a definitive solution to the Syrian quagmire.

"We should't be churning out one resolution after another on Syria that in the end will only be ink on paper without any solution in sight," he told Malaysian media Wednesday.

He had earlier addressed the High-Level Meeting on the Situation in Syria at the United Nations (UN) Security Council here.

Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia was particularly concerned about the humanitarian impact of the war in Syria on women and children and other vulnerable groups.

Ahmad Zahid also condemned attacks against United Nations humanitarian aid convoys aimed at helping Syrians who were in dire straits.

As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said, Malaysia felt that all decisions and resolutions passed by the body had to be respected. To a query, he said that big powers might opt to wield their veto in dealing with the Syrian issue.

"The question is, what's the point of using the veto power if we cannot resolve the Syrian conflict," Ahmad Zahid said.

What Malaysia was most concerned about was ensuring that people no longer had to suffer due to the conflict and that the humanitarian aspect be given priority in Syria, he added. -- BERNAMA