Germany urges Russia to help prevent humanitarian crisis in Syria

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects the Kremlin to use its influence with the Syrian government to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the rebel-held northern region of Idlib, a government spokeswoman said on Friday. Merkel has raised the issue in recent days with both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the German government is watching developments in the region with growing concern. "We expect ... Russia to prevent the Syrian government from escalating the situation and thereby prevent a humanitarian catastrophe," Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told a regular government news conference.

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