IRISH parliamentarians welcomed Syrian religious leaders and doctors yesterday in solidarity with the nation’s struggle against foreign-backed aggression.

Three Christian and Muslim leaders met parliament’s joint foreign affairs, trade and defence committee.

The previous evening they spoke at a meeting at Dublin’s Trinity College.

The visit by Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham of Antioch; All the East, Alexandria and Jerusalem Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch; and Sunni Muslim Grand Mufti of Syria Dr Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun was organised by solidarity campaign We Save Syria.

Groups linked to the Saudi-backed Muslim Brotherhood objected to the delegation’s visit, going as far as calling for the mufti to be arrested for warning Western nations against military intervention in 2011.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Ahmad al-Khaddour and cardiologist Dr Bashir Mohammad told how EU sanctions have crippled Syria’s health system, once on a par with those of western Europe, to the point where dozens die every day for lack of basic medicines.

Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem told the Morning Star: “We are in Ireland on the invitation of Irish people working for peace in Syria.

“We are here to meet people who are willing to listen to us,” he said. “We hope peace will prevail in Syria.

“The Irish people have been through a civil war themselves. We told them: ‘You are able to help the Syrian people with the future and have peace in their country’.”

Campaign spokesman Dr Declan Hayes said TDs Aengus O Snodaigh of Sinn Fein and independent Noel Grealish were very supportive of ending sanctions.

They offered to organise an Irish-led delegation to Syria for St Patrick’s Day, bringing aid and surgeons to perform much-needed operations.

Foreign diplomats attending the event said they would help bring Syrian Christian religious leaders to their countries to pray for peace, Dr Hayes said.

And Russian ambassador Maxim Peshkov offered to fly aid donations from Ireland to Syria.

The delegation thanked TD Clare Daly and senator David Norris for their help in reuniting Syrian-Palestinian baby Gafar Azouz with his grandmother, Damascus nurse Hazer Faleh.

The two parliamentarians secured the infant’s transfer from a Turkish orphanage where he was being cared for after the rest of his family were gunned down at the Turkish-Syrian border.

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