Lord Michael Bates is with local communities from Syria who are now refugees in Lebanon.

He has posted an urgent appeal on YouTube from central Bekaa on the Lebanon/Syrian border.

He calls for a 24 hour ceasefire under the Olympic Truce on 12th August, 2012 to coincide with the Closing Ceremony of the XXX Olympiad in London.

This would allow humanitarian aid in and injured women and children out of Syria to safe havens in neighbouring countries.

It would also allow a pause in the fighting and an opportunity for political processes to begin to take shape – a glimmer of hope for an end to the violence.