More humanitarian aid access sought in Syria

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer arrived in Damascus Friday to seek broader humanitarian aid access to besieged areas in the strife-torn country.

Maurer will discuss with Syrian officials broader access to besieged areas and visit to political prisoners in the country, Xinhua cited the ICRC's head of communication as telling reporters.

The purpose of Maurer's three-day visit to Syria is to get a first-hand impression of the reality of the conflict, a sense of what is going on in the field and to meet with a number of officials, Simon Schorno told reporters at the ICRC headquarters in Damascus following Maurer's arrival.

Maurer's discussions with Syrian officials will focus on issues related to the ICRC's access to the field and particularly to besieged areas along with the possibility of the ICRC visiting detainees in Syria, Schorno said.

"So the overall access of the ICRC to the field and visit to detainees are the primary objectives of the trip," he noted.

On Thursday, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi reiterated his government's commitment to delivering humanitarian aid to all people affected in Syria, adding that the Syrian government has been working to bolster the economy to combat the fallout of the country's three-year-old crisis and economic blockade.

To date, more than 100,000 people have reportedly been killed, and hundreds more are dying on a daily basis or struggling through with their injuries. In addition, each and every day, hundreds of people are joining the millions of Syrians already displaced within the country or seeking refuge abroad.