NEW YORK (Dispatches) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has called for a political solution to the foreign-backed war in Syria that began 11 years ago and has devastated the country and its people, Anadolu News Agency reports.
“We cannot fail the Syrian people. The conflict must cease. International humanitarian law must be respected,” Guterres said in a statement. “I call on all parties to meaningfully engage in the UN-facilitated political process and appeal for further support to scale up the humanitarian response. We must choose peace.”
Guterres said the past 11 years of conflict waged by foreign actors have exacted an unconscionable human cost, and “millions of internally displaced and refugees struggle to survive in the most difficult circumstances.”
But, he argued, “we must not lose hope,” move beyond “rhetorical commitments” to peace and to do all that is necessary to reach a negotiated political solution in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). “This is the path to a solution that meets the aspirations of all Syrians,” he said.
The UN Chief called for ensuring greater humanitarian access to address the needs of people throughout the country. “Cross-line and cross-border deliveries are essential to reach millions of people in need,” he said.
Meanwhile, the office of the Special UN Envoy on Syria said a new round of talks involving a constitutional committee seeking a solution to the ongoing war will resume in Geneva from 21 March.
The last such talks, which involved both the government and the opposition, ended in Geneva on Oct. 22, 2021 and were described as a “disappointment” by the Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen at the time.
The special envoy’s office said that the seventh round of the Constitutional Committee Small Body will meet behind closed doors in Geneva, but not at UN European headquarters at the Palais des Nations.
“The Constitutional Committee will be meeting in closed sessions and off-site,” said the statement.
Pedersen told the UN Security Council in New York on Feb. 25: “Militarily, front lines remain unshifted, but we still see all signs of an ongoing hot conflict.
“Any of a number of flashpoints could ignite a broader conflagration. We continue to see mutual shelling, skirmishes, IEDs (improvised explosive device), and security incidents across frontlines in the northwest, the northeast, and the southwest.”