Pope Calls for 'Fruitful Dialogue' in Syria

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday called for a "fruitful dialogue" between political forces in Syria with independent observers present and said Arab Spring states should oppose discrimination.

"I pray for a rapid end to the bloodshed and the beginning of a fruitful dialogue between the political forces, encouraged by the presence of independent observers," he told 160 ambassadors to the Vatican in a speech.

The Arab League is leading an observer mission in Syria aimed at halting 10 months of bloodshed between the government and the opposition, but it has been accused of only serving to cover up the regime's deadly crackdown on protests.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church pinpointed youth malcontent in the wake of the global economic crisis as one of the driving factors behind the Arab Spring revolutions and said that the countries affected were still in a state of uncertainty.

"It seems evident to me that the best way to move forward is through the recognition of the inalienable dignity of each human person and of his or her fundamental rights," he said.

"Respect for the person must be at the center of institutions and laws.

"The building of stable and reconciled societies, opposed to every form of unjust discrimination, particularly religious discrimination, represents a much vaster horizon than that of short-term electoral gains," he added.

The rise of Islamist political forces in North Africa following last year's revolutions in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia has raised concern in the Vatican over the future of Christian minorities in the region.