GENEVA, Dec 1 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen called on Sunday for the Syrian parties and key international actors to de-escalate tensions and engage seriously in meaningful and substantive negotiations to find a way out of the conflict and urgently convene in new and comprehensive peace talks on Syria.
He stressed "What we see in Syria today is a mark of a collective failure to bring about what has plainly been required now for many years a genuine political process to implement Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).
He strongly emphasized the urgent need for all parties to uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
He also warned of the dangers of mere "conflict management" rather than "conflict resolution", adding that no Syrian party or existing grouping of actors can resolve the Syrian conflict via military means.
Pederson stressed the need of serious engagement in meaningful and substantive negotiations between Syrian parties and key international stakeholders to find a way out of the conflict saying, "Without this Syria is in danger of further division deterioration and destruction." He also said, "Recent days have seen a dramatic shift in frontlines including significant advances by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - a group that remains a designated terrorist group by the Security Council- and a wide range of armed opposition factions. We have also seen pro-Government airstrikes." He warned that the latest developments pose severe risks to civilians and have serious implications for regional and international peace and security that in a country torn by nearly 14 years of war and conflict.
For several days now Syria has been witnessing widespread clashes between Syrian opposition and government forces in various regions in the north, particularly in Aleppo governorate, considered as the main economic city of the country. (end) imk.hb