UNITED NATIONS: The UN secretary general has appealed to Arab countries to set aside differences and help end Syria’s six-year-old civil war.

UN Chief Antonio Guterres made the appeal addressing a press conference while visiting the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan on Tuesday, a day ahead of attending a key annual Arab summit hosted this year by Jordan.

Guterres said Arab divisions over Syria have inadvertently given a boost to terror groups by allowing “others to intervene or manipulate situations, creating instability, breeding conflict, and facilitating the life of terrorist organisation”, UN press statement said.

Turkey, Russia and the United States have become major players in the conflict that has displaced millions of Syrians.

Guterres noted more doors are now being closed to the displaced. He said in not helping refugees, the world is inadvertently boosting terror groups and increasing global security risks.

“This is the moment for all countries that are involved, directly or indirectly in the conflict, to put aside their differences and understand […] the common interest from the fact that they are all threatened by the new risk of global terrorism”.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2017