Canadian astronaut appeals for peace from space

OTTAWA (AFP) - Reflecting on a recent photo he snapped from outer space of war-torn Syria, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield appealed for peace from his perch in the sky, saying on Thursday: "We're all in this together."

"The perspective that we are subject to, that we are privileged enough to see directly with our eyes, is one I think would benefit everyone, to go around the world in just slightly over 90 minutes... you see it as one place," Mr Hadfield told a news conference streamed from the International Space Station.

"And so when we do look down on a place that is currently in great turmoil or strife, it's hard to reconcile the inherent patience and beauty of the world with the terrible things that we can do to each other as people and can do to the Earth itself," he said.

On Jan 2, Mr Hadfield had posted a picture of Latakia, Syria, on his Twitter account with the message: "Deceptively calm and beautiful, strife-torn on the shore on the sea. Peaceful from such a distance." Syria has been steeped in conflict for the past 21 months, with the violence claiming the lives of more than 60,000 people, according to the United Nations.