The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria highlighted the significance of holding cease-fire discussions following the calm environment after two devastating earthquakes hit the area.
“We need calm on the ground. Something that I will be stressing when I’m meeting tomorrow with the cease-fire task force here in Geneva,” Pedersen stated at a news convention, noting that the post-earthquake goodwill that helped unblock assist deliveries in Syria must be utilized on the political stage to assist advance efforts to finish the nation’s 12-year battle
The Türkiye-centered earthquakes that struck the area final month have additionally acted as a wake-up name to the world that the Syrian tragedy is “far from over,” he stated, noting that after 12 years of struggle and battle, Syrians have been struck by a horrible pure catastrophe.
He stated the eye on Syria renewed regionally and internationally following the earthquakes.
“We need to take this attention and see if it can help us unlock progress on the way forward, ” he stated.
“Without the political solution, Syrian suffering will endure,” he stated. “All the challenges that existed pre-earthquake still remain and I think this is extremely important.”
The envoy stated no present group or actors “can resolve this conflict alone” earlier than including: “There needs to be a genuine Syrian-led and own political process facilitated by the United Nations. There needs to be a coordinated international effort in support of this with all key players working in a coherent effort.”
“The status quo cannot be acceptable,” Pedersen stated.
The catastrophic magnitude 7.7 and seven.6 earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria final month, killing greater than 50,000 folks, offered a “wake-up call to the world that the Syrian tragedy is far from over,” he stated.
The quake got here practically 12 years into Syria’s civil struggle which has devastated swathes of the nation, killed practically half 1,000,000 folks and displaced thousands and thousands extra.
In northwest Syria, the place practically 6,000 folks had been killed by the February tremor, the immensity of the earthquake tragedy helped shift long-stuck positions to facilitate getting assist into rebel-held areas within the northwest of the nation.
More border crossings had been opened to facilitate assist shipments from Türkiye, and efforts had been made to crank up assist deliveries from government-held areas into the opposition-held northwest.
The United States and the European Union have additionally eased sanctions to make sure the help may move in unencumbered.
Pedersen hailed that “in the aftermath of the earthquakes, humanitarian steps from all sides have moved beyond previous positions, even if temporarily.”
“A month ago, there was no prospect of the opening of more border crossings nor of moves to ease sanctions in a concrete way. We have seen both moves now,” he identified.
What is desperately wanted now, he stated, is for “the same logic that was applied on the humanitarian front to now be applied on the political level.”
“The earthquake in itself has shown that positive steps are possible if there is a political will.”
Pedersen, who has for years been making an attempt to make progress with a so-called constitutional committee for Syria with little success, warned although that the present geopolitical state of affairs was not very best for shifting ahead.
Last July, he needed to indefinitely postpone a gathering of the committee after Moscow balked at it being held in Switzerland, which had imposed sanctions on Russia over its struggle in Ukraine.
“The international climate today may make a comprehensive solution impossible,” Pedersen acknowledged.
“As long as the Russians don’t want to come to Geneva, the Syrian government does not want to come to Geneva,” he stated, including that he had had “months of discussions” with each and hoped “we will be able also to see progress on this file.”
Pedersen insisted that “we can make progress.”
“But then we need to see from all sides a willingness to compromise and to move forward in a more serious manner.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
