The plight of two children who have been staying in the Dutch embassy in Damascus for several months after apparently running away from their father is one of the issues Dutch foreign minister Ben Bot will discuss during his talks with the Syrian government in Damascus today.

The children, Sara and Ammar, want to return to their Dutch mother in the Netherlands but the Syrian government says this is only possible if the father agrees. The children’s Dutch mother told BNR radio she talks to her children every day and is desperate to be reunited with them.