Off the wire
• Spain keeps terror alert at level four after Paris terrorist attacks  • Roundup: British PM vows to redouble efforts to wipe out "poisonous extremist ideology" after Paris attacks  • President: Latvia cannot admit additional refugees before security stepped up  • Kenyan police chief urges vigilance after Paris terror attacks  • UN says 132,000 affected by floods as El Nino sweeps Somalia  • Chinese official says success of G20 summit helpful in combating terrorism  • China proposes comprehensive ceasefire in Syria  • Ding, Zhang fail to reach quarterfinal at Swedish Open  • Avalanche kills Indian military officer in Indian-controlled Kashmir  • Iran mulling major mining projects: official  
You are here: 　 Home

UN chief encouraged by world efforts to seek political solution to Syrian crisis

Xinhua, November 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said that he was encouraged by the world efforts to seek a political solution to the longstanding Syrian crisis at an early date.

His remark came at a time when the second Vienna meeting is held on Saturday to further promote political solutions to the Syria crisis.

"The secretary-general is encouraged that international stakeholders are reconvening in Vienna today to further their efforts to address the grave situation in Syria and bring about a political settlement to end the violence as soon as possible," said a statement issue here by Ban's spokesman.

The previous Vienna meeting, held on Oct. 30, was the first of its kind when the five permanent members of the UN Security Council sat together with regional countries to discuss political solutions to the Syria crisis.

Three working groups began meetings on Wednesday to address differences over terrorism, the opposition and the humanitarian crisis from the fighting.

Saturday's meeting attracted senior officials from 19 nations, including the United States, China and Russia, and groups, with an aim to chart a course toward a cease-fire and political transition in Syria to end the Middle East country's devastating war.

In follow-up to the last meeting, the secretary-general has instructed the United Nations Secretariat to accelerate planning on modalities for supporting the implementation of a political process and of a nationwide ceasefire for further exploration with the relevant parties, the statement said.

"The secretary-general also hopes that the meeting will make progress in ensuring humanitarian access throughout the territory of Syria in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions," the statement said.

"The secretary-general urges the participants in the talks in Vienna to move beyond their differences on Syria and take advantage of this rare moment of diplomatic opportunity to end the conflict and advance their search for a negotiated political solution," the statement said.

"He pledges the full support of the United Nations in moving the process forward," it said.

"The secretary-general reiterates the need for a single process of mediation to ensure that the international community speaks with a powerful voice," he said. "As part of accelerating diplomatic efforts to advance a political solution to the crisis, the Special Envoy remains ready to convene intra-Syrian talks, building on considerable preparatory work undertaken to date."

The UN special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said here Tuesday that the "momentum" gained in preparations should not be lost in the gathering in Vienna of nations striving to end the four-year-old conflict.

The United Nations has always maintained that the political solution is the only way to end the ongoing crisis in the country. Enditem