No military solution possible in Syria, UN envoy says

The UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday said that the ongoing fighting in Aleppo shows that no military solution is possible in the Syrian city or elsewhere in the war-torn Middle East country, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

De Mistura, speaking to reporters in Geneva, said that discussions have been continuing in Geneva with U.S. and Russian officials on how to obtain a workable humanitarian pause in Aleppo, and he expects those talks to continue on Friday, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The UN envoy and his special adviser Jan Egeland both underscored that a three-hour pause is not enough for humanitarian workers, Haq said, adding that they have reiterated the UN's request for a 48-hour pause so that humanitarian convoys can effectively go into Aleppo and provide aid.

The eastern part of Aleppo has been held by rebel groups since 2012. More than 6,000 people, mainly civilians, were reportedly killed or injured in 80 consecutive days of fighting in the second largest city in Syria,

With UN-mediated negotiations seeking to broker an end to the five-year conflict still on hold, de Mistura said efforts were ongoing in a bid to resume talks towards the end of August. Endit