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Russia Calls for Syrian Ceasefire

11 September 2012 17:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russia calls for an immediate halt to all violence in Syria and for the conflicting sides to maintain the ceasefire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

The ministryâ€™s statement comes in the wake of the bloody terrorist attack in Syriaâ€™s northern city of Aleppo on Sunday. A car loaded with explosives blew up near two hospitals, killing 17 and wounding over 40 people, who were all civilians.

â€œWe condemn terrorist attacks, whose victims are innocent people. It is necessary to immediately stop all violence and simultaneously stop fire by all sides,â€ the ministry said in a statement.

The statement also said that Russia calls on other countries that have influence with the armed opposition in Syria, to persuade them to stop terrorist attacks, â€œwhich bring death and pain to civilians.â€

Since it began with demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assadâ€™s regime in March 2011, the Syrian conflict has escalated into a full-scale civil war that has claimed up to 20,000 lives, according to estimates by various Syrian opposition groups.