The United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Wednesday he intends to bring the government and opposition back to Geneva for a fifth round of talks on March 23 to pursue agreement on a transition to end the six-year war.
Staffan de Mistura told reporters after briefing the Security Council behind closed doors that the UN will be promoting substantive talks on four issues — governance, a new constitution, elections and counter-terrorism, “including the security organization and confidence-building measures.”
He appealed to participants at a meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, that will take place ahead of the next Geneva talks to address the challenges of the cease-fire in Syria.
De Mistura said it’s very important that military commanders of the three countries invested in a solution in Syria meet to avoid conflicts and focus on counter-terrorism. “Without a strong cease-fire, the talks (in Geneva) will be fragile,” he warned.
De Mistura said he asked the council for support in ensuring that the fifth round goes “upwards” from the fourth — not backwards.
“Above all, I have appealed to all Syrians and outsiders to abandon the fantasies that still are there of a military victory. One side or the other still sometimes believes that is possible. It is pure fantasy,” the AP cited him as saying.
