UN Syria envoy to step down next month

United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council today that he plans to step down at the end of November for personal reasons after more than four years in the role.

He is the third person to fill the job during the more than seven-year Syrian conflict. His predecessors – former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi – both quit frustrated by global deadlock over how to end the Syrian war.

De Mistura is a veteran Italian-Swedish diplomat who has had a 40-year career with the United Nations, including a number of high-profile roles. Latterly he also served as Italy’s deputy foreign minister.

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