CSC: Donate generously for Syrian cause

The Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) yesterday urged the members of all its affiliated bodies throughout the Kingdom to donate generously in response to the national campaign launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to help the affected people in Syria. The campaign starts today.
The Ministry of Interior made the announcement of the national campaign on Saturday.
The ministry also urged philanthropists in the Kingdom to contribute to the campaign launched during this holy month.
CSC President Abdullah Al-Mubti said that this is the best month to help such people, who are undergoing a difficult period in their life.
In a circular addressed to all 28 chambers comprising 400,000 businessmen, Al- Mubti stressed that it is not only a religious obligation, but also a humanitarian help for the distressed brethren who are badly in need of assistance.
“This is a time that the members of the private sector, such as companies and individuals, can come in to help alleviate the sufferings of the Syrian people, who are undergoing a period of ordeal. He added that it is the duty of the international community, particularly Muslims throughout the world, to lend a helping hand to the distressed Syrian people.
As many as 19,106 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in acts of violence in Syria since the unrest began in mid-March, 2011.
The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, said in a press statement that statistics had shown that the death toll included 13,296 civilians, 4,861 soldiers and 949 fighters and defectors. He pointed out that the number of deaths did not include thousands of persons missing after their arrest by the authorities.
Around 130 people were killed in clashes between the regime's forces and the Syrian Free Army in various areas in Syria yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that those killed included 64 civilians, 23 fighters and defectors, and 43 soldiers. The Observatory said the clashes took place in the cities of Damascus, Deir Al-Zour, Homs, Hama and Idlib.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah has called for an Extraordinary Conference of Islamic Solidarity in Makkah on August 14-15, praying to Allah that this conference will achieve the aspirations of the Islamic nation for the service of Islam and Muslims, and unity.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that based on the king's keenness on serving Islam and preserving the unity of Muslims, especially at a delicate time, such a meeting was timely considering the current situation in the region.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Saturday he was sending an envoy to Syria to assess the situation, as government forces and rebels battled for control of the country. "I am sending my undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations (Hervé Ladsous) to Syria to assess the situation as well as the top UN military advisor (Gen. Babacar Gaye) to lead UNSMIS (UN Supervision Mission in Syria) in this critical phase," Ban said after meeting Croatian officials in the Adriatic resort of Brijuni.