UN Syria envoy calls for negotiated end to Syrian crisis
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Geir O. Pedersen, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, on Monday underlined during a briefing to the UN Security Council that months of “potentially significant diplomacy” to resolve the crisis in Syria have not yielded any outcomes or political momentum in Syria.
“I hope they will soon, because if not, it will be another missed opportunity to help the Syrian conflict to come to a negotiated end, at a time when the impact of the crisis is deepening,” he said.
Despite shortcomings, Pedersen added that there were positive humanitarian gestures following the devastating earthquakes in February that killed nearly 50,000 people in Syria and Turkey. However, he found it disappointing that the UN cross-border relief operations, which provoked a Russian veto and a failure to agree to any resolution two weeks ago, could not be extended.
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“How are the Syrians meant to believe that some broader progress is possible, and how are they meant to be encouraged to overcome their own deep differences, if consensus on humanitarian basics among international parties is elusive?” he said.
Moreover, he said that “Syria remains territorially divided,” adding that there are five foreign armies within Syria.
“This month saw airstrikes attributed to Israel, reports of Turkish drone strikes, reports of pro-Government airstrikes north of Aleppo, and the US saying it carried out drone strikes on an ISIL (ISIS) leader near al-Bab,” he added.
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The UN diplomat repeated his calls on Damascus to work proactively with the UN on a political path out of the conflict, and also highlighted the need for “constructive and coordinated international diplomacy.”
“The more you can work together despite your differences, the more you can encourage and support the Syrians to do the same,” he urged the 15-member Council.
The ongoing civil war in Syria had devastating effects on the country's infrastructure and its people. The conflict caused significant loss of life, displacement of millions of Syrians, and extensive damage to cities and towns.
Despite extensive efforts to solve the Syrian crisis since 2011, a diplomatic solution has remained elusive.
Various international initiatives and peace talks have been attempted, but none have led to a comprehensive resolution.