Respect UN's role in Syria: Zuma

The role of the United Nations in Syria must be respected, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.

   

"The task of the UN will be respected as the only authority that can intervene militarily in any country," Zuma told delegates at the 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Sandton, Johannesburg.

  

"My view is that you are meeting at the right time when there is a challenge to the global situation and I don't think we can remain silent when one country is being bombed to ashes before our eyes." 

   

He said it was the role of parliaments and legislatures around the world to promote peace and security.    

 

It was only through peace that there could be sustainable development and prosperity.

   

Zuma also called for peace in Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

   

"Peace and democracy must reign in every part of Africa and all over the world," he said.

   

-Sapa