Syrian president urges immediate delivery of relief cross quake-hit Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has urged immediate delivery of relief aid to all areas in Syria struck by earthquakes on February 6.

Assad made the call during his meeting with Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, who visited Syria and toured quake-hit areas in Aleppo on Monday before meeting Assad in the capital Damascus, Xinhua news agency repported, citing a report by SANA news agency.

The President also highlighted the importance of focusing international efforts on helping rebuild the infrastructure in Syria, calling it a matter of urgent necessity for the return of Syrian refugees.

For his part, Griffiths said the United Nations seeks to support the relief efforts and meet the humanitarian need of the Syrians.

The twin earthquakes measuring 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude that rocked Syria on February 6 have so far killed about 5,300 people in the government-controlled and rebel-held areas, according to the latest figures released by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The United Nations said on Friday that the earthquakes had displaced 5.3 million people in Syria.

--IANS

int/sha