DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, stressed the importance of respecting Syria's national sovereignty and creating an atmosphere of confidence and cooperation between Syria and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Mikdad was speaking during a meeting with Regional Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid Affairs, Radwan Nweiser, and Deputy Director of OCHA's Coordination and Response Division, Philippe Lazzarini.

The meeting came in line with preparations to sign an agreement on means of implementing the humanitarian response plan to meet the needs of the people affected by the crisis in Syria after establishing a committee to lead this process chaired by the Syrian side.

Mikdad called for making the best use of the UN capabilities and bodies to guarantee the access of humanitarian aid to those in need as soon as possible in light of the programs set up by the Syrian ministries and the parties concerned within the framework of the joint evaluation carried out in cooperation with the evaluation mission which visited Syria last March.

Mikdad added that the mission included representatives of the OCHA, the UN offices and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

He stressed the Syrian side's keenness to convey humanitarian aid to the people affected by the terrorist acts which took place in a number of Syrian cities forcing them to leave their houses and preventing them from practicing their daily life activities.

Mikdad reviewed Syria's official and popular efforts to fulfill these needs in an atmosphere of solidarity among the people.

For their part, Nweiser and Lazzarini expressed keenness to respect Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial unity, adding that the OCHA's role is to coordinate aid and prepare periodical reports.

They stressed that the mission aims at supporting the Syrian government efforts to convey the humanitarian aid to the people in need.

Nweiser expressed the OCHA and his team's readiness to coordinate with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Red Cross to distribute the aid.

R. Raslan/ H. Said