Syrian government seeks to boost cooperation with Red Cross

Damascus, Feb 19: Syrian Minister for Social Affairs said on Tuesday that the government is keen to cooperate with the International Committee of the

( ICRC), state media reported.

During her meeting with ICRC International Mission Chairman, Boris Michel, Kinda Shammat said coordination between the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Red Cross is essential in the delivery of medical and food aid to the thousands of civilians around the country having little access to basic necessities due to ongoing conflict, Xinhua reported.

Michel, on the other side, suggested the two sides could cooperate on issues including providing potable water, sewage purification services, and rebuilding electrical infrastructure .

Syria's civilians have been hard hit by the conflict that has already killed more than 100,000 people since opposition protesters first sought the ouster of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011.

Recent statistics show that 9.3 million Syrians, half of whom are children, are in need of basic necessities. Around 2.5 million Syrians live in areas cut off by the conflict and around 1.9 million Syrian children are out of school.

IANS