UN envoy optimistic Geneva talks on Syria will lead to genuine political process
The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has expressed hope that an upcoming meeting on the Arab country in the Swiss city of Geneva will eventually enable warring sides to launch a "genuine" political process.
“This crisis -- one of the worst in the history of the UN -- now has the potential, the real potential to move toward a genuine political process,” De Mistura told the UN Security Council on Monday.
The senior diplomat is due to chair the eighth round of UN-sponsored peace talks between representatives from the Damascus government and the opposition.
Previous rounds of negotiations in over the past five years have failed to achieve a tangible result, mainly due to the opposition’s insistence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should cede power. That condition seems no longer tenable due to Syria’s continued victories against the militants in the recent past.
De Mistura said he was sure that the Syrian government delegation would attend the upcoming talks in Geneva despite its delay to arrive in the city.
“Last night, we received a message that the government would not travel to Geneva today (Monday),” he told the UNSC via videoconference from Geneva, adding, “The government did not yet confirm its participation in Geneva but indicated that we would be hearing from them soon.”
In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on November 20, Assad said he was “ready for dialogue with all those who want to come up with a political settlement.”
“Naturally we know and indeed expect that the government will be on its way shortly, particularly in light of President Assad's commitment to President Putin when they met in Sochi,” De Mistura said.
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