Slim hope of Syria truce during Muslim holiday: Arab League

DUBAI - Agence France-Presse

REUTERS photo

Hopes of a ceasefire being implemented in war-torn Syria during the upcoming Muslim Eid holidays are "slim," the Arab League's deputy secretary general Ahmed Ben Helli told AFP today.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Energy Forum in Dubai, Ben Helli said a truce was increasingly unlikely "because the signs, both on the ground and by the government ... do not point to the presence of any real will" to implement a ceasefire.

"Unfortunately, hope for implementing the truce during Eid al-Adha are slim so far," he said, adding that efforts however, "are being made at all levels." UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Sunday appealed to both sides of the Syrian conflict to observe a truce during the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins on Friday.

Brahimi has visited several countries with influence in the Syrian conflict over the past week, including Lebanon and Iran, warning that the violence could spread and set the entire region ablaze.

The revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has entered its 20th month with the death toll estimated at more than 33,000.