EU to address Syria's political future with regional players

The European Union (EU) will start talks with key actors in the region on the post-conflict phase in Syria, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday following the discussion on Syria at the Foreign Affairs Council.

"We have had a very good discussion with the UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. We have decided that the EU and the UN will work more together to push the humanitarian aid into Aleppo," she told media.

EU foreign ministers decided to start talks on Syria's political future in particular with Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other key regional players "to try and create a political space for some common ground on the future of the country," said Mogherini.

She stressed it could be helpful in this moment to start reflecting on the post-conflict institutional settings for Syria.

Mogherini also called on Russia and the Syrian government to "stop the bombing on Aleppo and to continue talks with the United States and other key players on the ground to avoid the humanitarian catastrophe in the city."

According to the conclusion published after the meeting, EU foreign ministers called for an end of all military flights over Aleppo and an immediate cessation of hostilities to be monitored by a strong and transparent mechanism. Endit