On the eve of a summit between Russia, Iran and Turkiye on Syria's military plan against Idlib, the eight European UN Security Council members issued an appeal Thursday for civilian protection.

The European Union [EU] member Italy, Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, and Poland, expressed concern about Idlib, announced their support to urgent diplomatic efforts of Turkiye and the United Nations [UN] for a solution.

On behalf of the group, Swedish Permanent Representative to the UN Olof Skoog said the conflicts in Syria has already caused unspeakable suffering to millions of people forced to live under siege or to leave their country, has called for a diplomatic solution to the parties.

Noting that a military operation against Idlib would make the region even more dangerous, he continued:

"We are deeply concerned about the escalating military actions by the Syrian regime and Russia in northwest Syria with potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences for civilians. A full scale of a military offensive in Idlib would put at risk the lives of more than 3 million civilians including 1 million children living in the region. It might also lead to renewed mass displacement including of civilians already displaced because of the regime brutal sieges and military operations."

Skoog added that any use of the chemical weapon would be totally unacceptable. "We express our support for the urgent diplomatic efforts being made to this end by Turkiye and the United Nations," he added. (ILKHA)