Macron urges truce in Syria's East Ghouta

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for a truce in Syria's Eastern Ghouta to allow for the evacuation of civilians trapped by a barrage of airstrikes on the rebel-held enclave.

"France is asking for a truce in Eastern Ghouta in order to ensure the evacuation of civilians and facilitate humanitarian access as quickly as possible," he told reporters, accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime of using the fight against terrorism as a "pretext" to attack civilians.

Macron said that France was "fully committed" to fighting Islamist terrorism in Syria as part of the US-led coalition.

"But France clearly, vigorously condemns what is happening today in Eastern Ghouta," he said, calling for an "immediate" UN resolution on the situation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday also called for an immediate halt in the fighting, saying Eastern Ghouta, home to around 400,000 civilians, had become "hell on Earth".