Syria urges France to help end Gaza siege

Source: Agencies, 1-12-2008
The Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, has called on France and the European Union to help end the "Israeli" blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Al-Assad, during a meeting with two French envoys on Sunday, urged EU, currently headed by France, to "work to lift the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people in Gaza which has worsened the humanitarian situation" in the territory.
Claude Gueant, secretary-general of the French presidency, and Jean-David Levitte, chief diplomatic advisor to President Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived in Damascus earlier in the day and discussed 'Franco-Syrian cooperation and the situation in the Middle East'.
Assad praised Paris for its 'efforts aimed at finding solutions to different problems' in the region, Syrian official news agency SANA reported.
"Israel" tightened its blockade of Gaza earlier this month and on Sunday it threatened to launch a wide-scale operation into the territory to halt the rocket firing from Gaza.
Palestinian groups say their rocket attacks are retaliatory measures against "Israeli" incursions and air raids.
The Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to the "Israeli" blockade on the region. The blockade has left more than 1.5 million Gaza residents without basic supplies, including food and medicine.
A number of Palestinian patients die every month as the siege prevents the sick from getting help from outside the borders.
Despite the international criticism of the "Israeli" blockade the regime continues its siege and raids on the Palestinians.