Time not "yet mature" for Syria peace talks: UN envoy

Intra-Syrian talks seeking to broker an end to the five-year conflict are still on hold though the UN intends to reconvene negotiations between warring factions as soon as possible, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.

"I have informed the Security Council just a few days ago that time is not yet mature for the official third round of the Intra-Syrian talks," De Mistura explained after a humanitarian taskforce meeting.

"We want to give maximum chances for a concrete outcome. And what is concrete outcome? A beginning of a political transition," he added.

This can only be achieved if talks are accompanied by marked improvements in both the security situation on the ground and the humanitarian front, de Mistura warned.

According to UN figures, over 820,000 Syrians living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas have received life-saving aid since the beginning of the year.

Though humanitarian access has been problematic, the envoy cautiously welcomed Damascus' decision to grant written approvals allowing aid to reach 15 of the 17 besieged areas listed in the humanitarian taskforce's June plan, adding that permissions must be matched by action on the ground.

Out of the 19 Syrian areas surrounded by warring factions, only Al Wa'er in Homs and Zabadani in Rural Damascus were not granted written approval.

The two remaining besieged locations were not included as they are already covered by air drops.

With August 1 the date by which time a tangible agreement is hoped to be reached, de Mistura said that concrete intentions and a positive atmosphere are essential to push forward with substantive discussions.

"The first of August is attainable. We should be aiming at that one because that's a date which has been put as a target date, not just for anything but for the beginning of a serious, concrete message in terms of political transition," he highlighted. Endite