Assad urges for int'l help in restoration process of Palmyra ruins

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday urged the international organizations to help in the restoration process of the destroyed monuments and temples in the recently-captured city of Palmyra, according to the state news agency SANA.

In a letter to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Assad hailed the UN chief's remarks, in which he welcomed the Syrian army's recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra.

The president, meanwhile, reaffirmed his government's readiness to cooperate with all "honest efforts" to counter terrorism, saying that "this moment could be the most appropriate to accelerate the collective war on terror."

A day earlier, during an interview with Russia's news agency Novosti, Assad said the Russian military support and the support of friends provided to Syria and the Syrian military achievements will lead to the acceleration of the political solution.

Last May, Palmyra fell to the IS, which destroyed the city's military prison along with several Islamic tombs. It also publicly executed soldiers and individuals accused of working for the government.

Three weeks ago, the Syrian army backed by Russia and Shiite fighters of the Lebanese Hezbollah group started a wide-scale operation for the recapture of the city, succeeding to retake it recently.

Palmyra contains monumental ruins of a great city that was once one of the world's most important cultural centers.

Before the onset of the Syria crisis five years ago, Syria, endowed with prehistoric Greek, Byzantine and Islamic heritage, used to attract numerous multinational archaeological missions seeking new clues and investigating historical facts concerning the development of civilizations. Endit