UN: Syrian solution must be diplomatic, political

(Vatican Radio) The head of a UN Human Rights commission on Syria says there is no military solution to the conflict in the country. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chairperson of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, says civilians are paying the price of nearly 20 months of armed conflict in the country.

"The only solution is diplomatic and political, through negotiation. We are repeating this as a mantra. Why? Because we think that only with the end of violence, the human rights of the victims – the Syrian population – will be effectively more protected," he said.

The Commission of Inquiry was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists say government warplanes have shelled a strategic town seized by rebels last week, while the Syrian army clashed with opposition fighters outside the capital.

The fighting continues amid international warnings that the situation in Syria is worsening.

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