During his New Year's speech to the diplomatic corporation, Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for an end to the violence in Syria and to hasten the peace process in the Middle East. After pointing to the  'political and social' issues that are affecting the world on top of economical worries, the Pope stressed the importance of setting new rules of coexistence that would grant everybody 'a decent standard of life.' The Holy Father then referred to the Arab unrests as a high-priority situation to be taken care of. Talking about the crisis in Syria, Benedict XVI called for the violence to end. 'I am very worried for the people in the Middle East right now, especially for those in Syria. I hope the bloodshed will end soon and a constructive dialogue will start between the political parts, also thanks to the presence of the Arab League supervisors.' The Pope has also deplored the recent attacks in Iraq. He hoped the authorities would 'keep working towards national reconciliation.' Regarding  the Middle East in general, the Pope has also encouraged a 'brave policy' on the way to peace from both Israelis and Palestinian leaders. He then commented on the recent attacks against churches in Nigeria and he called on a wider cooperation in the continent between christian communities and the governments in order to reach justice, peace and reconciliation. The Pope finally stressed the importance of religious freedom as 'the first of human rights, as it expresses the inner side of the individual.'Religious rights have been oppressed too often, the pontiff concluded.