Pedersen: Solution to Syrian crisis remains long way off

Before the UN Security Council, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said that a comprehensive solution to the Syrian conflict “is still far away,” pointing to a lack of trust and divergent positions, according to the United Nations website.

Pedersen added in his briefing yesterday before a Security Council session on the situation in Syria, that "the gaps in political will, the divergence in the fundamental positions of the parties, the deep lack of trust, and the international climate are all factors that contribute to this stagnation."

He also warned of the Syrians' suffering and sense of despair, adding that "we cannot simply accept the current situation because it will get worse and could collapse, which will lead to the creation of new challenges."

Pedersen stressed that there is a need for the political process to begin “achieving results on the ground and giving hope.”

The UN official said “civilians are still being killed and injured over the violence, as tens of thousands were displaced last month.”

Pedersen touched on what he described as some of the “most serious threats” to the relative calm prevailing since 2020 and a number of incidents of violence and clashes that Syria witnessed in the recent period.

He also spoke about the emergence of "new evidence of popular frustration in Syria," pointing to the continuation of protests in Suwayda Governorate for more than a month, in which participants raised economic, social, and political demands.

The UN envoy urged the Syrian parties and all major international actors to accept the settlement more fundamentally than many are doing so far, stressing that this “will make it possible to work in parallel and urgently to reverse the negative economic, security and political trends, and to relaunch a political process according  Council Resolution 2254.”

He added, "We will need concrete steps through contributions from all parties, step by step. This can help us move towards a safe, calm and neutral environment."

Pedersen stressed that this matter requires the implementation of serious commitments to address the concerns of Syrian civilians inside and outside the country.

a.k

ANHA