In their statement, the Arab League’s Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby and his OIC counterpart Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu appealed on Tuesday for “a cease-fire and a cessation of violence in all its forms for the duration of the holy Eid al-Fitr holiday.”

They said such a cease-fire would give “the Syrian people the chance to celebrate this important religious occasion, and to perform its rituals in peace and security.”

The road to “a political solution to the crisis that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people ... remains riddled with obstacles,” the statement said.

A cease-fire in Syria “may bring an opportunity for calm, and to help overcome those obstacles,” the groups said, adding that a truce could also allow humanitarian aid agencies to work in areas affected by violence.

The Arab and Islamic organizations, meanwhile, called on “all the regional and international stakeholders to support this appeal.”

The United Nations says that more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria’s raging war.

Earlier in July, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged a truce for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, although there was no response to his appeal.

A proposed truce for Eid last year fell through after it failed completely to stop the violence.

BA/BA