PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron called on Thursday for Western nations to play a greater role in ending the war in Syria, saying the crisis could not be resolved by just “a few” foreign powers.

Macron said the international community should “not give ground to certain powers which think that just a few, recognising one part of the opposition from the outside, will be able to find a stable and lasting solution for the situation in Syria,” he said.

“In this context, the United Nations, regional powers, Europe and the United States have a great responsibility, and I will fully commit to succeeding in building the peace in Syria,” he told the diplomatic corps in Paris.

The French leader also said that peace in Syria and neighbouring Iraq is urgently required in order to avoid any resurgence in militant attacks once the Daesh was defeated “militarily.”

Agence France-Presse