Washington, Mar. 28 (ANI): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called on leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to help stop the flow of money and weapons to rebels in the 2-year-old civil war.
The plea came the same day that the Syrian opposition opened an embassy in Doha, Qatar, reports the CNN.
Al-Assad, in the letter to the leaders of the BRICS nations attending an economic summit in the South African city of Durban, urged the BRICS nations to exert all possible efforts to end the suffering of the Syrian people, resulting from the unjust economic sanctions in violation of the international law which directly affect the livelihood of the citizens and their daily needs.
In the letter, al-Assad said Syria has been targeted by "terrorists" backed by the United States, the European Union and a number of Arab nations.
In a statement issued at the end of the summit, the leaders of the BRICS nations said they stand behind an agreement reached last year that calls for the creation of a transitional government in Syria.
The plan, the statement said, "reaffirms our opposition to any further militarization of the conflict".
More than 70,000 Syrians-mostly civilians-have been killed since anti-government protests in March 2011 led to a fierce government crackdown, an armed uprising and a civil war with no end in sight.
The fighting in Syria has internally displaced 2 million people, and more than 4 million are in need of humanitarian aid, from food to medical care, according to the United Nations.
About 1 million people - about 5 percent of the country's population-have fled Syria since the fighting broke out in March 2011, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. (ANI)
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