Strasbourg, 15 February 2012 - Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland published the following statement today, in reaction to the situation in Syria:

"I am deeply concerned about the appalling suffering of population in Syria, which is a neighbour to the Council of Europe.

The violence started because the Syrian government reacted with repression to peaceful protests and demands for transition to democratic governance involving all ethnic and religious group in Syria.

Therefore I call on the international community to agree on a united and effective response which would help to end the violence, protect human rights and facilitate a search for a peaceful political resolution of the crisis."