UN Syria envoy calls for concerted effort to resume a Syrian-led political process

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Geir O. Pedersen, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, on Wednesday underlined during a briefing to the UN Security Council the worsening security, economic and humanitarian situation in Syria requires urgent concerted efforts from all parties to the conflict to resume a Syrian-led political process.

He warned that the Syrian people both inside and outside Syria continue to suffer acutely from the conflict in all its dimensions.

“It is deeply troubling that, for over a year, the intra-Syrian political process has been in deep freeze,” he said.

The economic situation has gotten worse, with the Syrian pound losing over 80 per cent in three months of its value, and prices from essential goods spiraling out of control.

While minimum State salaries have been doubled to roughly $13 per month, a monthly food basket in June cost at least $81, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The economic situation led to protests in southern Syria amid widespread anger over the crash of the Syrian pound and the dwindling economy.

“Syria cannot fix its economy while it is in a state of conflict,” he stressed. He welcomed the understanding reached on the continued use for the next six months of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in north-west Syria.

Nonetheless, this year’s Humanitarian Response Plan is funded at 25 per cent, he reported, underscoring that any adverse effects of sanctions that could aggravate the predicament must be avoided.

It is a simple fact that no one actor or group of actors can determine the outcome of the conflict or bring about the kind of steps needed for a political solution to emerge, he emphasized.

Moreover, he voiced concern that, for over a year, the intra-Syrian political process has been in a deep freeze, he underscored that “the only path out of this is a political process that involves the Syrian parties themselves, in line with resolution 2254 (2015).”