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UN envoy in Damascus in fresh push for Syria peace initiative

Xinhua, September 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations envoy for Syria arrived here Thursday for talks with top Syrian officials in the latest efforts to find a political solution to the Syria crisis.

The special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is scheduled to meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and other foreign ministry officials on details of a political plan he proposed recently, sources told Xinhua.

Syria posed a number of questions to Mistura on the plan, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council on Aug. 17.

"We are awaiting for his answers," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said early September. "Once we have received the answers to our questions, we will determine our decision toward his initiative."

Mekdad said his government "has deeply discussed" the ideas put forward by Mistura.

Mistura's plan calls for the formation of four working groups that would include representatives from both the government and Syrian opposition groups.

The groups' focus would be on four fields: safety and protection, including ending the blockade and ensuring the arrival of medical aid; political and constitutional issues, such as establishing an interim government board and holding elections; military and security issues, including the fight against terrorism and a cease-fire; and public institutions and development, with a focus on reconstruction of the country.

The groups would examine political reforms and form a transitional authority.

Syria has been in the throes of conflict since 2011, when opposition actions against the government of President Bashar al-Assad evolved into a running war that also saw the emergence of al-Qaida-linked groupings such as the Nursra Front and extremist groups like the Isalmic State (IS).

According to UN estimates, an estimated 220,000 people have been killed in the conflict and half the Syrian population displaced, fuelling an exodus of refugees to neighboring states, Europe and other countries.

In a recent interview with Russian media, Assad blamed the growing outflow of refugees on the West, which he said has been supporting "terrorists" in Syria. Endit