Burkhalter calls for greater efforts to end Syrian conflict

Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter has urged states to find solutions to end the war and stem the overwhelming tide of migrants fleeing to Europe from the Middle East. “We need much greater willingness from all actors – all regional and global actors – for peace, otherwise we will just simply go on trying to treat the humanitarian consequences,” Burkhalter told Swiss public radio in Paris on Tuesday. Burkhalter was attending an international conference in the capital opened by French president Françoise Hollande. The meeting aims to develop an action plan to protect and support victims of religious and ethnic violence in the Middle East. For the past two years, Switzerland has also been leading a trilateral humanitarian dialogue with Iran and Syria to improve access and working conditions for humanitarian workers. “All the actors must be pressured to participate in solutions,” the minister said. He said politically, the main ray of hope at the moment for ...